


A Glitch(Tech) in Time

by SRSobotka



Category: Glitch Techs (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SRSobotka/pseuds/SRSobotka
Summary: Miko & Fives meet up with the Hinobi Store's "Troubleshooter" - and older teenager, with a knack for fixing broken technology - when her gauntlet malfunctions. This new person will have a major impact on Her life, as well as all the Glitch Techs, long after fixing her gauntlet. 1st Story in a series.
Relationships: Hector Nieves | High Five/Zahra, Miko Kubota | Me-K.O. & Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Part 1

**A GLITCH(-Tech) IN TIME: Part 1**

**A Glitch Techs story / © 2020**   
**by Stephen R. Sobotka**

  
**Disclaimer!** : This is a fan fiction, based on characters, settings and situations from the Nickelodeon-made and Netflix animated series “Glitch Techs”; created by Eric Robles & Dan Milano. This has been written solely for other fans of the series to enjoy, not to gain profit for the author. All characters, with exception of any that I have created for these stories, are ™ and Copyrighted by Nickelodeon & Netflix, and are used without their knowledge.

Please don't sue, since this was done as a tribute to the spirit of the original animated show.

  
 **Author’s Note** : My first fic in the universe of Glitch Techs! Hope everyone is ready for this, because this is hopefully going to be a ride and a half! Kudos to the support of Hinobicord and Glitchcord, and as well as Dan and Eric and all of the Glitch Techs staff and cast for their continued support of the fan community!

With that said, Let’s get this show on the road! Enjoy! -- SRS

  
# xOx #

  
_Glitch Tech HQ Main Level,_   
_HInobi Games: Store #20221_   
_City of Bailey...._

“W-w-welcome back, Techs!” BITT said. “C-c-congratulations on your successful mission! Please I-i-insert your gauntlets i-into the Main Repository to offload captured Glitches a-and c-c-claim your X-P!”

Hector and Miko stepped up to the creche, and socketed their gauntlets into the reception-jacks. The two teen-aged Glitch-Techs were exhausted -- their white-and-blue uniforms were heavily smudged and dingy -- yet they looked proud as the transfer of data flowed into the Main Core. “Ay, this day was a doozy, Partner,” Hector said. “I don’t think taking down video-game goons and Plixel monsters is ever gonna get old!”.

“You’re telling me,” Miko said. “I-!” She paused, as an error-sound rang out from her gauntlet. “Huh? What’s with the-?”. She removed her hand, looking at the metal and plastic unit wrapped around her forearm. The view screen was lit up with a magenta-hue and a warning icon in bright red. “Hey? What’s wrong here? BITT?”.

The floating robot-construct with the emoji-styled face blinked, then hovered closer to Miko’s upheld arm. “Scanning . . . .”.

Hector removed his own gauntlet from the socket, and stared at his friend. “ _Que?_ Miko, is something wrong?”.

“I dunno. BITT? What’s the ‘sitch?” Miko asked.

BITT turned off his scanner. “P-p-processing . . . ! Error! Device has m-m-mal-malfunctioned. There appears t-to-to be a misalignment in the focusing matrix, and the d-d-data inside cannot be extracted!”.

“Malfunction?” Miko growled softly. “How? I’ve been like, super-extra careful with this thing!”.

“You sure about that?” Hector asked, crossing his arms and snorted. “Did you let Ally swallow it, again? Or try to use it to bounce a basketball off the mid-court?”.

Miko glanced at him over her shoulder. “Of course not! I’m telling you . . . I’m never letting anything happen to my Baby, ever.” She turned back and gave her gauntlet a scowl.

“Well, something happened to it. Otherwise, why would BITT say there’s a malfunction?”.

Miko sighed gustily. “Geez, I wonder how long this has been like this?”. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Come to think of it, the last time we went out to bag more Glitches before today, my aim felt a bit . . . off!?”.

“Off?” the tall Hispanic kid cupped his chin, thinking for a moment. “You know, you did seem to have some trouble hitting your marks, Miko.”. He stepped closer and twisted her arm so the gauntlet’s view screen faced him. “I mean, I thought it was due to the frenzy of the fight with that last Plixel-beast-.”.

“I know, but we had five other fights -- FIVE, Fives! -- yesterday,” Miko said. “And three of theme weren’t all that bad, really.”.

Hector looked at the hovering robot. “Can you tell the cause of the damage?”.

“S-s-sorry, but I cannot do m-m-more than a tertiary scan,” BITT stated cheerfully. “In-depth analysis is b-b-beyond my root function.”.

From behind them, a rough-sounding voice said, “If your gear has gotten that bad, this quickly, the problem could be more than what you can believe it to be.”.

Miko and Hector turned, seeing the Hinobi-Tech branch leader, Phil, standing there. “So, what could it be?” Miko asked.

Phill made a ‘gimmie’ gesture with one hand, so she removed her gauntlet and let him examine it. “It’s like a LOT of the tech we use around here. Good when everything works, buuuuut . . . let it get the slightest bit off kilter,” he explained. “You’re looking at a lot of potential problems.”.

“I thought they made this tech to be really tough? I mean, you pretty much repaired her gauntlet with a few keystrokes before, right?” Hector asked.

“Mm, we usually expect an average Glitch-Tech to put their gear through a lot of abuse. Restoring the physical hardware isn’t that hard. Provided it’s relatively intact, component-wise,” Phil said, giving Miko a hard look. He went on to say, “It’d take a HUGE destructive force to make any gauntlet irreparable.”. He tapped a few times on the display screen, and frowned as he turned the unit over in his hands. “Well, this unit shows no signs of major external damage, so . . . I’d wager the problem’s on the inside.”.

“Inside?” both Miko and Hector asked.

“Yeah, it’s either the main board, the HCP, or the something in the OS. The core programming code itself.”.

Miko groaned. “Ugh! So what can I do now? Can’t I get a new one?”.

“Honestly,” Hector asked, “Can Miko get a replacement gauntlet, Phil?”.

BITT replied before their boss could, stating, “Please Note! Until the d-d-data can be downloaded from your current unit, a replacement Level-One Gauntlet c-c-cannot be requested!”.

“BITT’s right.” Phil said. “Besides, if we were to issue you a replacement, we’d need to put your current employee account out of the system, then re-register your personal data, and . . . well, it’s just a major hassle. So, unless you want to really go through all of that, and lose all the XP you’ve earned recently . . .?”.

“Aagh! No!” Miko said.

“Well then,” Phil said, as he handed it back to her. “ You’ve only got one last option left. Best go take it to our troubleshooter.”.

Both Hector and Miko blinked. “Troubleshooter? Who’s that?” Miko asked.

Phil arched one eyebrow. “Right, I keep forgetting you two are still new. Russell Stepan.” he explained. “Guy we recruited some years ago. Major Code & Systems Programmer. He’s a whiz when it comes to Plixel tech.”.

“Umm, is he good?” Hector asked.

“Oh, believe me! Tracking down trouble on our tech? You couldn’t find anyone better.”. He pointed down towards a hallway facing away from the lobby. “Has his own office near the Warehouse Section, in the Repairs shop. Recommend you take your gear to him. Oh!”. He paused, and turned to gesture towards a large stack of boxes sitting on a nearby pallet mover. “Some new supplies arrived for him today. Best take care of two things at once. Here.”. He tossed the pallet’s control to Miko, who managed to catch it without dropping her gauntlet. “Go see him and drop that off. If he finds a means to fix it, come back afterwards.”. Turning away, Phil said over his shoulder, “I’ll have a new assignment for you when you get back.”.

As they watched him go, Miko groaned before looking at Hector. “Nertz!”

Hector said, “Well, I guess we’ve got no choice this time, Partner.”.

Miko groaned. “Aagh, fine! Let’s go get this over with!”

  
# xOx #

With the stacked pallet mover in tow, the duo walked down another access hallway, until they arrived at a pair of double-doors with a sign that read “REPAIRS'' over an intercom box. Hector reached out to touch the talk-key. “Hello? We’re here to see the . . . troubleshooter?”.

Miko leaned past Hector and spoke into the pick-up, adding, “We’ve also got some deliveries for you, too! A lot of boxes!”.

There was a moment of silence, then a gruff, young voice replied, “ _Please be standing clear of the doors._ ”. Stepping back a bit, the pair watched as the two nearest doors cracked open, then slid aside with a hiss of released pressure. Opening, they exposed a wide, deep compartment beyond the entryway. The voice sang out from the speaker again, “ _Come in, mind the shelves._ ”.

The two stepped over the threshold -- Miko steering the pallet mover in behind -- and were taken in by the sheer size of the room. As large, if possibly bigger than the Main Lobby and the Simulation Room combined; huge lights from the ceiling revealed rows of tall, metal shelves that were packed with boxes, crates and modular drawers filled with parts and gear. Service analogs -- some small as BITT, while others as big as a forklift -- were shifting and sorting much of the inventory as could be seen.

“Wow!” Hector said, twisting around to take it all in, as they walked down a central aisle. “This must have a ton of Hinobi tech in here!”.

“Hype-Hype,” Miko replied. “Bet most of this is for the store-front. This all can’t just be for us Glitch-Techs! Can it?”.

“Well, I-?” Hector started to reply, but was cut off when a small analog buzzed around them, coming to a halt in mid-air as they both stopped in their tracks.

“ _You are the person requiring my aid, Ano?_ ” the same gruff voice said, coming from the analog’s speaker-grill.

“Um, actually, my partner is . . . the, ah, person in this case,” Hector said. “She’s got a malfunction with her gauntlet, and Phil said you could fix it?”.

The analog’s “eye” shifted towards Miko, who held up her right arm to show it, watching as The analog’s optic swept over her damaged gear. A sound, like a snort, burst from the speaker. “ _Ach, člověče! Please follow my drone now._ ”, the voice said, as the analog whipped around and started flying deeper into the compartment.

“Well . . . that was unexpected,” Miko muttered as they set off after the flying analog. “Did you catch what that ‘bot said?”.

“Uh-uh,” Hector said. “Sounded, well . . . like Russian?”.

“More like something from the Czech-Republic,” Miko countered. She saw the look Hector gave her, and replied, “What? My dad’s grandfather was Czech! We always loved to listen to _Dědeček_ Kuba tell stories when I was younger.”.

The pair eventually came into an open space between the shelves, where a pair of half-circle desks sat back-to-back, under a lower-hanging ceiling light. Odd crates, open boxes, and other office accessories lay scattered on and around them, while a pair of computers took up the one side with two big monitors. The other side had a collection of hardware, tools and storage drawers stacked there, with a pair of lights clamped to the edges of the desk’s work area.

Seated behind the desk, was a husky young fellow with reddish-blond hair that was tied behind his head in a loose, short ponytail. Wearing a pair of coveralls with the Hinobi “H” on the sleeve, he was peering at something that looked like a Hinobi console core; his hands were covered by insulating gloves, while he held a long-nosed tool, probing inside the core with it.

“Um . . . hello?” Hector asked. “Are you the-?”.

“ _Dobrý den_ ,” the person interrupted him, never taking his eyes off of the component in his hands. “Hello. I am Russell. Troubleshooter. A moment . . . I must finish this. Then, I will check your malfunction.”.

Hector and Miko looked at each other, frowning. “Gee, doesn’t seem like a very sociable guy, does he?”, Miko asked her partner.

“Well, he’s clearly into his work,” Hector observed with a weak laugh.

Sitting back, Russell sighed at the component, before putting the probe down and reaching for another tool. “You also have my weekly delivery, _Ano?_ ”. He made a commanding gesture to some shelves a short distance behind them. “Parts go to the lower shelf. Game accessories, on the left side. Other boxes, right side, _prosim?_ Might as well keep busy until I am finished here.”. He moved to apply the tool to the component -- which made a violent spark and hiss -- and jerked back with a scowl. “ _Odstřelil technologie!_ Why must you be so difficult?”.

“Hey!”, Miko said archly. “We brought you your delivery, Fine! All I want is my gauntlet checked out, so I can get back to stomping Glitches!”.

Russell grunted, before tossing the tool aside to snatch up another one. “Will work on the gauntlet after I finish with this.” he said. “In order to make up for time, you will help by shelving boxes. Idle hands are the devil’s accomplice.”.

Before Hector could reply, Miko growled and stormed up to the front of the desk. “Look! We’re not here to do your work for you!,” she said, planting her fists against the desktop. “If you want these stored, the least thing you can do is get off your lazy bum and help, too!”.

“Miko!” Hector said sharply.

“What!? We’re supposed to do the work he’s supposed to do?” Miko asked. “It’s not like he’s doing our job for us-!”. Her tirade was cut short by the sudden BANG!; as a pair of hands slapped the desk, making both her and Hector turn to look at Russell.

The red-haired young man was glaring at Miko, but he didn’t utter a word. Instead, he shoved himself away from the desk, and appeared to be moving in his seat from behind it. As he came around into the clear, both of them stared in shock as they realized he was seated . . . in a wheelchair, with his legs encased in white, metal braces that ran from his thighs down to his feet.

“Uuha-ahhhh, oh,” Miko said meekly, stepping back as Russell pivoted his chair to face her. “Um, I think I said something completely out of line, didn’t I?”.

Russell snorted. “You did.”. He looked over at Hector -- who flinched and gave him an apologetic look -- then fixed Miko with a searching, scathing look. “Lazy is not in my job description. I have a condition that limits my time standing and is easier to use this!” he said, slapping the side of his ‘chair. “Now, if you would be so kind, to help with my deliveries-?!”.

“Ah, sure! Sure! _No problemo!_ ” Hector was quick to say. “We’d be happy to help you out! C’mon, Miko! _Muévete_ ,” he said in an undertone, giving Miko a pointed nudge towards the pile of boxes.

“Okay, fine! Guh!” She started to turn, but skidded to a halt when she felt a large hand on her shoulder.

“Wait, please . . . your gauntlet,” Russell said, pointing to it. “Since your timing has interrupted my regular work-.”.

“Oh . . . o-kaaay, just . . . just don’t do anything risky, please?” Miko asked, removing the gauntlet and handing it gingerly to him. She watched as Russell turned back to his desk -- staring for a moment as he flipped it over to stare at it -- then sighed as she turned around to help Hector unload the boxes. They had barely moved a few of the larger ones, when a pair of large analog-drones suddenly appeared; using their paired gripper arms to begin lifting the boxes up to the higher shelves. “Woah!”.

“Well, looks like we won’t be at this for too long,” Hector said. “With their help, in any case.”.

In fact, the boxes were sorted and shelved securely in mere minutes; thanks to the lifter analogs. By the time the last box was settled, a soft, commanding sound came from the direction of Russell’s desk. “Come. You two!”. They turned and moved to stand in front of the desk, just as Russell -- using something that appeared to be a test device, with wires socketed into Miko’s gauntlet from several open panels -- used a lighted, magnifying arm to peer down into the unit’s case. “ _Kecy!_ You, stubborn, little-!”.

“Ah, are you finding the problem, Sir?”, Hector asked.

Randall snapped his head back, shoving the lens aside before he blew out his cheeks in exasperation. “ _Ach, pro lásku boží!_ This is what comes of never listening to the advice I give!”. He reached for a nearby box, rummaging around inside with one hand, while he picked up a micro-torch with the other. “Is unsure how long they let this go, but . . . _Blázen!_ Is certain the reason for your malfunction, erm . . . ?” He looked up, fixing both of them with a slightly embarrassed expression, just as he removed what looked like a couple of microchips from the box. “Your names, _prosim?_ ”.

“Oh! I’m Miko, and this is Fives, my partner,” Miko replied.

“Hector’s my name, but they call me Hi_5,” Hector added.

“Hi . . . Five? Miko?” Russell paused, then blinked. “Me_KO? Winner of the latest Smash tournament?”.

“Well, Fives made the shot, with my ball, actually,” Miko replied, sounding pleased that her name was recognized. “You could say we both won that time. Heh!”.

Russell tipped his head, then nodded with a small smile. “Someone to finally put the vaunted _chlapec_ Mitch Williams in his place?”.

“Well, um . . . after a fashion, yeah.” Hector said with a meek chuckle.

Russell snorted. “Good.”. He turned his attention back to the gauntlet, reaching in to pry out a couple of chips, before replacing them with the ones he’d acquired.

Miko’s face filled with panic, as she bounced on her toes for a bit. “Hey-hey, wait! Don’t pull out anything vital, here!”.

“Relax, these are not memory-chips,” Russell stated, moving the micro-torch inside the opening; making a few, light-blue sparks float out from within. “Gauntlet is Tech Level-1. This particular model is standard issue to all new Techs. Apart from being basic gear, it also is tough as iron anvil. even if the firmware is a bit . . . more susceptible to damage.” He grunted softly. “It also has not received a new hardware upgrade since I last spoke to Manager Phil . . . some six years ago.”. He trailed off, muttering crossly to himself as he continued to work with the chips.

“That’s . . . a pretty long time,” Miko drawled.

“Wait, these need regular hardware updates as well as the software?”, Hector asked.

“Not necessarily,” Russell said. “Oft times, gauntlet systems will update when not in use. Is nature of Plixel construction”. He looked up and gave them a lop-sided smile. “However, some time interactions with Glitches can cause some form of firmware corruption. Much like this unit.”

Both Hector and Miko looked at each other with wan expressions. “You think-?” Miko asked.

“When it was swallowed by Ally?” Hector finished with a groan. “Don’t see any other reason, Miko.”.

“Allie?” Russell asked; his accent rolling the name around like dice in a cup. “Whom is this, Allie?” he asked, setting the torch aside to turn towards a computer terminal.

“Um, Ally is my companion pet,” Miko said. “She was a Glitch we acquired, after we stopped a major Glitch Monster from smashing a neighborhood!”. She grinned, then gave him a half-apologetic look as she added, “She, ah, sorta swallowed my gauntlet, after she knocked it loose.”.

At that, Russell snorted. “That, would do it.”. He began tapping a sequence of commands with the keyboard, grunting softly as the data rolled across his monitor screen. He paused as he checked the connection from the terminal to Miko’s gauntlet. “Fortunately, restoration is not difficult.”. He pressed the Enter-key, and the gauntlet began to hum and glow. Before Hector and Miko’s astonished eyes, the unit rose up from the desktop; wires disengaging, as panels and ports snapped closed, and the unit hovered in the air as its touchscreen winked off, then back on with the universal Hinobi “H” logo in its center.

Russell reached out and nimbly plucked it out of mid-air, turning it around to peer into the touchscreen with a nod of satisfaction. “There. Is repaired. You should be able to retrieve all recent XP and Glitch entities stored in the last seventy-two hours.”. He handed it to Miko, who was smiling with relief.

“Oh, thank-you-thank-you, Thank You!”, she said, hugging the gauntlet to her chest. “The Precious is BACK!”.

Russell chuckled softly. “Excitable girl, isn’t she?” He asked, looking at Hector.

“You have NO idea,” Hector said. “So, everything’s good to go now?”.

“Indeed,” Russell said, but he quickly raised one hand to point at Miko; who was just stopping in place, during her victory dance. “However, you will please monitor your gauntlet for the next seven days!”. His expression was stern, and both Miko and Hector froze in place. “Each time you download XP and captured Glitches, you will request a Virtual Scan of your unit. Double-checking for any deviance, _Ano?_ Is only way to be certain this will not malfunction again.”.

“Virtual Scan, every day for the next seven,” Hector said. “Got it! We can’t thank you enough for this.”.

Russell made a _phsst!_ -sound, waving one hand in dismissal. “Is my job to fix what’s broken. Save what became corrupted, _Ano?_ ”. He nodded before turning away to lift the long-forgotten core from where he’d left it. “Now, leave me. I have quite a few units to repair before my shift is over.” He paused and fixed them both with a last look. “Remember. Scan that gauntlet every day, for next seven!”.

“Understood, Sir! I won’t forget it. Promise!” Miko flipped him a salute, turning to follow Fives as they headed for the exit.

As they walked back along the rows of shelves, Hector made a whew!-sound. “Man, that was . . . interesting! I guess this Russell fellow doesn’t get out much.”.

Miko gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, well, I guess being tied up with all of this repair work and stocking-?” She half-turned back, watching as Russell wheeled himself away from his work station, and rolled towards a doorway neither of them had noticed. As he opened the door and rolled into the room beyond, she added, “Well, he did help us out.” She looked at her gauntlet and smiled. “That has to count for something!”.

“Yeah, well, c’mon partner,” Hector prompted. “We’ve got to download your XP, and get ready for another mission!”.

  
# xOx #

  
_Glitch Tech HQ Main Level,_   
_Several Days Later...._

“Okay, Techs, Listen up and Listen good!”

Phil stood before the main display in the center of the central chamber, with several Glitch Techs -- Miko and Hector included -- standing in a loose cluster in front of him. BITT was floating nearby, linked into the holo-display as the GM started speaking.

“We’ve got a real doozy of a Glitch to deal with this time,” He said, gesturing with his coffee mug towards the display; which was filled with the wire-frame image of a Glitch. “We’ve only ever seen a couple of these before now, and according to the information BITT could recall from the archives . . . a-heh. This sucker’s not going to be a cakewalk.” His last words ended on a derisive note, as he shot a side-eye glance at Mitch.

Snorting softly, Mitch Williams said, “Whatever. There’s no Glitch we can’t handle, here!”.

From the side, Miko said, “Two words, dingle-berry: Chomp Kitty!”

At that, Mitch shuddered and shot her a glare. “Never, mention, that, THING, again!”.

“Hey, cool it down, you two! We need all the info we can, IF we’re going to take this thing down as a team. Remember?” Hector said, fixing both of them with a glare.

“Pfft! Whatever!” Mitch growled.

“So, what exactly are we dealing with here, Boss?” Hector asked.

“In short, this is a Mapper Glitch, but it isn’t your garden-variety Mapper Glitch.”

“Ooookay, like the Castlestein Glitch . . . but, how is it different?” Bergy asked.

“Terciary scans have I.D.-ed it, and it appears to be based on an old Hinobi game called Evulstar,” Phil said. “The objective of that game was to stop clusters of minions and robot-ships from mining crystals from floating asteroids in space. If they collected enough crystals, they could build a section of the Boss, a massive star-base called Evulstar. Once it was completed, you had to destroy it before IT destroys you.”.

“Forgot to mention this, in passing,” Mitch sniped, “the Boss is immune to the blaster attacks used by the player’s star fighter. And if you get anywhere near it? It’s a practical insta-death!”

At that, Bergy quailed. “Oh no!”

“Which means that we can’t be certain of WHAT will happen if the Glitch makes contact with a live person,” Phil said flatly. “Also, pretty sure your Gauntlet’s blasters aren’t going to affect it, either. So, we’re going to take all the precautions with this one!”.

“Sooo, if it’s not affected by blasters, just how DO we stop it?” Miko asked.

“The base strategy we should go with, appears to be similar to the one the game has the player use,” Phil explained. “Use your star fighter’s blaster to mine the asteroids for crystals, which your star fighter can convert into Cluster Bombs. Get enough of those, and you can literally bomb Evulstar back into pixel-dust.”

“Now that’s . . . really old-school!” Mitch groused.

“Hey, if it works, what more can we do?” Hector asked. “Besides, you heard Phil. If this thing is immune to our usual bag of tricks-?”

“S-seriously! We’re g-g-gonna need every advantage we can g-get!” Bergy stated.

Phil nodded. “You got that right. This is a top-tier Glitch, so we’re not going to just leave this to one Tech alone. We’re going in with two teams. Each team will have a specific task; Either to run interference against the mobs to keep them from building the Boss to its complete form, or to mine crystals for Cluster Bombs to weaken it so we can ultimately contain its core program.”

BITT spoke up to explain further, “Each Glitch T-t-Tech will be given a special upgrade t-t-to their Glitch-Tech gauntlets!” A wire-frame image of a Tech Gauntlet appeared on the holo-field; with an animation following as BITT continued. “Th-th-this special modification app, will reconfigure a P-p-Plexil construct around you, forming into a scaled c-c-copy of the game’s player-operated s-s-star fighter!”.

“Each star fighter will have the same systems that the game counterpart has: laser cannons to shoot the weaker mobs and ‘mine’ the asteroids we find. Jet boosters to get away from hazards, and it should be sturdy enough to protect you from the in-game environment,” Phil said. He turned and added with a warning tone, “Trouble is, we’re not dealing with ordinary sprites here, people. The environment will be packed with all the standard mobs from the game -- minions, space tanks, demon-fighters, and so forth -- but, it will also have Quasar Traps, Gravity Pits, Repulser Fields, and a slew of other things that will eat you for lunch! So treat this operation with extreme care! Avoid all re-mapped elements at any cost. Got it?”.

“Sounds like a good plan!” Hector said.

“And, you do love your plans, right?” Haneesh said, giving Hector a wink.

“Sooo, who’s going on whose team?” Zahra asked.

“BITT? You got that roster-selection mapped out?” Phil asked his robot assistant.

“Analyzing c-c-Current Glitch-Techs present . . . .”, BITT said. A soft Hinobi-tone! preceded his reply. “Assignments are now complete! Teams Miko & Fives, and Zahra & Nix w-w-will operate in offensive mode, while Teams Mitch W-w-Williams & Haneesh and Bergy & Chris will m-m-mine for Cluster Bombs!”.

Phil nodded and smiled -- in spite of the groans and excited cheers from the Techs -- as the roles were assigned. “BITT and I will be providing support and backup as needed, and we’ll deploy a good dozen or so new recruits to perform crowd control to keep the stooges at bay.” He turned and got everyone’s attention. “Okay, Techs, we know the strategy and what parts we’ve got to play! Everyone suit up, get your gear set, and head for the vans. We’re moving out right now!”

“P-Please insert your gauntlet into the main c-c-console be-be-before you depart,” BITT said. “A last ch-check of all systems is re-re-required, before downloading the Star fighter a-a-App!”

As each Tech passed the main console the room, they paused briefly to do what bit had said. “C’mon! We’re not going to get anywhere unless we move, now!” Mitch said.

As Hector and Miko were taking turns at the console, Miko snorted, “Sounds like the dingle-berry is feeling it, today!”.

“This is a big mission, Miko,” Hector said, removing his gauntlet and stepping aside for her. “I’ll get the van revved up! Hurry up and we can join the others!”.

Miko watch him head off. “Don’t worry! I’ll be right behind you,” she said. She started to put her hand into the reception-jack, when she heard Phil and Mitch shouting across the way. “Eeesh, does he ever stop?” She turned back and had her hand half-way into the reception jack, when Hector called out, “C’mon, Miko! We’re gonna be last at the site unless we get moving!”.

“Right, coming!” She removed her hand, shrugged and ran off towards their van.

Unaware of the small flicker of red that appeared on her gauntlet’s touchscreen . . . .

  
# xOx #

  
_Number 23, West Concorde Street,_   
_City of Bailey...._

The collection of Hinobi tech-vans sat clustered around the corner house; with several Techs already having fanned out to case the surrounding block. A few had found some stragglers out and about, and they were quick to ‘reset’ them, so to keep them out of trouble.

Phil’s van had been placed at the head of the home’s driveway, where it was now sitting with a round antenna dish erected on its roof. He was looking on with Nick, who was ushering the now-brain blanked family that had been huddled outside the infested house into the back of another van. “Re-checked with the family’s head of household, Boss,” Nick said to Phil. “No one’s left inside. They were lucky to get out before the Glitch completely co-opted the premises.”

“Well, that’s one thing in our favor.” Phil made a face as he studied the readout on the open console now erected on the side of his van. “Has every Tech gotten the star fighter app downloaded?”

From one side, BITT chimed, “A-a-Affirmative! All Techs present have r-re-re-ceived the app for the mission, as p-p-planned!”

“Good. Now, get everyone on the Teams assembled! I want no stragglers when we breach the Mapper’s enviro-boundary.”

“All teams accounted and ready, Boss!” Mitch said, striding up with Bergy and Chris following. “Let’s go kick some Glitch-tail already.”

Nix spoke up before Phil could reply, saying, “I don’t recommend we just charge in there,” he added with a side-look in Mitch’s direction. “Not without a full scan of what we’re up against.”

“Augh! We know what’s in there!” Mitch groused.

“Yes, but we don’t KNOW what’s in there with the Glitch itself,” Nix returned. “There could be environs we’re unprepared for, minion Glitches . . . a dozen or so other things I’d care to mention.”.

“Okay, no more arguing!” Phil snapped. He turned and tapped a series of commands into the console. “I’m getting a scanner array set up, but I can’t run it, and support you guys in real-time IF things get hairy!”

“Don’t worry,” Mitch scoffed. “Even if this Glitch seems like a big deal, we’ve got the strategy AND more than enough Techs here to--.” A sudden cry of alarm cut Mitch off to the quick. “What was that?”

Whipping around, Phil and the others stared in the direction of the house, which was flickering like an out of tune TV channel: all pixelated and wobbly, like it was out of sync with reality. To one side, a couple of Techs were lifting a fellow Tech from the ground and quickly carrying them towards another of the vans, that had been set up for Field First-Aid.

“What happened?” Phil demanded.

“It’s Joan!” One of the Techs carrying their prone comrade said. “She was trying to do a localized scan of the house, and something zapped her through the walls when she got too close!”

“Is she hurt!?” Nick asked.

“She’s stunned . . . we think,” the Tech replied, helping to lift the injured Joan into the back of the van. “We’ll know more when we use the medical kit!”

Phil inhaled deeply, before scowling at Mitch -- who had the temerity to look concerned as well. “This isn’t going to go well, if someone else gets hurt!” He turned and tapped his headset, opening a local-comm circuit. “All Techs! Do NOT go near that house! Not until we’ve breached the barrier field and are ready to go in!”

At that, Hector and Miko, along with Zahra ran up to their position. “What happened?”

“One of the crowd control noobs got hurt, getting to close to the house!” Mitch said, scowling.

“Oh no!” Bergy gasped.

“Okay, that’s it!” Phil raised his gauntlet and keyed in a series of commands quickly. “I’m going to head a reserve team to help out, once we’ve breached the barrier.”

“But, if you do that, who’s going to run the scanner? We need that to give us a heads-up when we’re inside that place!” Mitch stated.

“Do we have a back-up in mind? Zahra asked.

“I’ve got a ‘back-up’ already in mind,” Phil said firmly, as he peered down at his gauntlet’s view screen. When a comm-chime sounded, he said, “Contact Repair Shop!”

  
# xOx #

  
Repair Shop & Stowage, Glitch-Techs HQ . . . .

Seated at his interior office desk, Russell was looking over a picture in a frame mounted on the wall, when a strident sound at his workstation in the main room got his attention. “What is . . . ? Wait. That’s a field-tech alert!” He wheeled himself out of his office, over to the side of his large desk where a phone-relay unit sat. Thumbing the “accept” key, he said into the open mic, “Repairs?”.

“ _Russell! This is Phil! I’ve got an Alpha-stage situation here, and we need YOUR help!_ ”

Blinking, Russell recovered from the shock of surprise, before asking, “What do you require, Sir?”.

“ _Get to the mission terminal in Central HQ and set up for a sensor-array boost!_ ” Phil said urgently. “ _I’ll also need you to stay on-station to help monitor ALL input from our array as well as ALL Techs frequencies! We’re dealing with a MAJOR Mapper Glitch, and I want NO Surprises when we get inside the building it currently occupies. We are NOT losing a single Tech during this one, understand!?_ ”.

“Understood! On my way!”. Releasing the key, He turned and started to head out of the bay; pausing only when he caught sight of a Glitch-Tech gauntlet, lying on one of his rarely-used worktables nearby. He grimaced, but changed direction briefly to scoop the gauntlet up. He slipped it on, flexing his fingers in the glove before he turned and headed out of the bay.

  
# xOx #

  
The two Tech teams were clustered around Phil and BITT, waiting for the word to come through, when one of the auxiliary Techs ran up. “Good news, Sir,” they said to Phil. “Joan’s shaken but recovering. Looks like the beam was only meant to stun, not kill.”

“Whew! That’s a relief,” Zahra said.

“Good to know, but I still want a fifty-yard buffer zone around that house,” Phil said. “This Glitch is probably trying to keep anyone out, until it finishes construction. So, no one but the Tech Teams are going anywhere near it. Understand?”

“Yessir! We’ll pull back and keep the area clear from any lookie-loos!” The Tech ran off to see that the remainder of the CC-team understood the order.

“Now, if Russell would report in, we can get this taken care of,” Phil muttered.

“Well, it might take him a while to get from the Repair Shop,” Miko offered.

“Depends on if his chair ran out of batteries,” Mitch growled.

“Hey! That’s just rude!” Miko scowled at Mitch.

“Can’t help it. That second-stringer never could do anything--!”

A burst of a digital comm-signal from the command-van’s console cut him off. “ _HQ to Field Team? Russell here! Am on station, and am synchronized to your portable array. Commencing power boost . . . I have all Tech frequencies locked into my monitor!_ ”

Phil grinned with a purpose. “Good to hear, HQ! Stand by, we’re about to breach the Glitch’s barrier to initiate scan!” He turned and motioned to the collected teams. “Everyone, get ready and stand by!” As they moved aside, he looked to BITT. “BITT, fire the dispersion anchors. Let’s get an opening in that barrier field!”

BITT floated over to where a set of large, bulky apparatus were propped up; aimed at the wide, side wall of the house. “Engaging M-M-Main Dispersion Cannon! Firing in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1!”

At that, the two devices lurched back with a pair of loud WHUMP!-sounds, and two shell-shaped objects rocketed towards their target. A few feet from the surface of the wall, they separated into twin, elliptic-shaped devices that slapped against the wall and held fast. Then, a ripple-beam of blue arched from each device; forming a wide rectangle shape that wavered, as the surface of the wall appeared to vanish amid a dark field of energy, which was broken up by random clusters of color and light.

“We h-have a successful b-b-breach!” BITT reported.

“Okay, Techs! Reserves form on me,” Phil said. “Tech Teams, Gauntlets UP! Move in and let’s take that Glitch!”

From the one side, Hector turned to Miko, Zahra and Nick and made a encouraging motion with his fist. “Okay, team! We’re on point! Let’s clear the way for the Mining Team!” He turned and keyed his gauntlet. “Activate Star fighter-Mode!”

On the other side, Mitch glared at the others on his team. “We’re not letting this Glitch stick around for much longer! So, we’re getting those Bombs quick, and ending this mission just as fast!” He also made a gesture with his gauntlet. “Power up!”

The two teams were quickly surrounded by Plixel energy, as their individual star fighters formed around them. In short order, the construct’s engines flared to life and send them surging towards the open apature. Amid the rocketing ships, the sound of Miko’s encouraging cheer could be heard over the comms: “Let’s take this Glitch, Guildies! Waa-HOOOO!”  
  


  
To Be Continued . . . .  
.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miko, Fives, and their fellow Glitch Techs are taking on a massive Mapper Glitch, but even with help from Russell back at HQ, will they be able to defeat it before it goes viral?

**A GLITCH(-Tech) IN TIME: Part 2**

**A Glitch Techs story / © 2020**   
**by Stephen R. Sobotka**

  
**Disclaimer!** : This is a fan-fiction, based on characters, settings and situations from the Nickelodeon-made and Netflix animated series “Glitch Techs”; created by Eric Robles & Dan Milano. This has been written solely for other fans of the series to enjoy, not to gain profit for the author. All characters, with exception of any that I have created for these stories, are TM and Copyrighted by Nickelodeon & Netflix, and are used without their knowledge.

Please don't sue, since this was done as a tribute to the spirit of the original manga and animated show.

  
**Author’s Note** : The action is picking up! Wanted to show what a ‘real threat’-level Glitch would be like, so I went back ‘old school’ for this one. Folks should recognize the video game that I drew inspiration from, and I hope I’m doing the show justice with this big-scale action sequence ahead!

Huge thanks to the fans, and to Dan and Eric for creating this show. With that said, Enjoy! -- SRS

# xOx #

_Outside Number 23,_   
_West Concorde Street, City of Bailey...._

Phil had his eyes fixed to the main view screen of his command console from the instant the two Tech teams had crossed over the breech threshold, and into the Mapper’s artificial environment. So intent was his focus, he missed the arrival of one of the other Techs from beyond the “hazard zone” behind the GT Vans.

“Mr. Phil, Sir,” the Tech named Gibson asked. “Sir, the crowd control teams are all in place, and . . . we’ve had no break in our perimeter security since you gave the order.”

Phil grunted, reaching out to tap a couple of controls while never letting his eyes leave the view screen. “Techs, report! Situation and status inside the Mapper’s field?”

Nix’s voice replied in Phil’s headset: “ _All Techs present and accounted for, Sir! We’re proceeding deeper into the . . . space, as it were. No contact made with the Glitch or any of its constructs! Yet._ ”

“ _No doubt the Glitch has a massive set of defenses in place,_ ” Mitch’s voice pipped up. “ _If I remember what this old-school game had,_ ” he muttered.

“ _No time for second-guesses, Mitch! Everyone tighten up,_ ” Hector’s voice said sharply. “ _We’re coming into the main ‘game area’, right now._ ”

Phil bobbed his head in a small nod. “Maintain your course . . . telemetry is coming in from the scanner array. We’ve got you all locked in, and Russell has countermeasures ready. Just in case this Glitch decides to monkey with our Tech and systems.”

“ _Understood! Comms are locked in . . . will report anything we find, at once!_ ”

“Good,” Phil said. “Stand by.” He paused and looked at Gibson. “Did we bring any further Techs who could double as a reserve team, if needed?”

Gibson said quickly, “I can assemble a team right away, if you need them, Sir?!”

Phil nodded. “Do it.” He glanced back at the view screen, where eight colored blips were steadily advancing across a black field. “Unless I miss my hunch, We’re going to need them!”

# xOx #

  
_Mapper Glitch Environ, Inside Number 23,_   
_West Concorde Street...._

“Wow . . . it’s definitely bigger on the inside,” Nix said.

“Yeah, talk about min-maxing your inner space,” Zahra muttered.

“Try to keep it down! We’re not on a sight-seeing trip here,” Mitch growled. “Fives, any sign of mobs ahead of us here?”

The four-Tech fighter teams were flying tightly -- wing overlapping wing -- as they rocketed through the open “space field” of the interior of the Mapper’s domain. Around them, a shifting field of bright pinprick-points of light were dotted with clusters of floating asteroids and other “junk”. As Mitch led from center-slot on the four star fighters in Mining Team, trailing behind, Hector was in the lead, with the remaining Techs of Fire Team, flying at his wing tips.

“So far, nothing on the scanners,” Hector said, his eyes flicking across the instruments in front of him. “No sign of the Glitch or . . . any enemies, at all.”

From his headset, the voice of Phil spoke up: “ _Doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, Techs. Keep a sharp look out! Russell, anything coming up on your readouts?_ ”

Another voice cut in, saying, “ _Ne . . . not in immediate range of our teams. Yet, I am picking up a larger asteroid field some fifty meters ahead. If you wish to mine for your cluster bombs, I would begin there._ ”

Looking ahead, Hector could see the massive field of grey, jagged space rocks; all rolling slowly or quickly -- depending on their momentum -- as they formed a millrace in front of the advancing teams. “I see it; coming up fast!”

“That is a LOT of rocks!” Miko quipped.

“M-More than enough f-for us to get the crystals we need!” Bergy said.

“ _You will be in for some competition, where that is concerned,_ ” Russell stated. “ _As big as that asteroid field looks, it would make a good place for the Evulstar’s minions to start a mining operation of their own!_ ” 

“ _Then we’d better get started before they do! Techs! Advance on the asteroids, but be cautious._ ” Phil said tersely, “ _We don’t know where the Glitch has set up to build the Evulstar, and anywhere we can find crystals, then it’s a sure bet they’ll be looking for them there, too!_ ”

“Understood, Sir! We’ll move ahead to check if it’s safe for the Mining Team.” Hector looked over at his left, where Miko’s star fighter was flying alongside him. “Miko, you see anything moving out there?”

“Not yet, we’re only just coming up on the edge of that asteroi-OHBOY! HEAD’S UP!” She whipped her fighter to the side, just as a flurry of blast-bolts saturated the area where he ship had just been.

Forewarned, the rest of her fellow teammates scattered; arcing away just as an explosion of pixel sprites burst out from behind the cover of the shoal. Another volley of blasts rained out from the small, demon-shaped forms as Mitch’s Team was just coming into range.

“Oh Boosh! Drones! We’ve got Drones, here!” Mitch warned.

As several blasts raced by his fighter, Haneesh said, “A whole LOT of Drones! Watch out, Zahra! Behind you!”

Zahra wheeled her fighter around, avoiding the shots fired by a trio of Drones. “Got them!” She fixed the Drones in her targeting system, and fired off several shots from her blaster cannons. The Drones couldn’t avoid the incoming shots, and quickly de-rezzed into so much particles.

Hector boosted his fighter over, coming in alongside Miko’s ship. “Team, close up together! We’ll clear a path for the others. Mitch!” He gripped his control stick and throttle, looking tense as he eyed his sensor readout. “Get into the asteroids! We’ll provide cover while you mine the crystals, and make it fast!”

“Understood,” Mitch fired back. “Just keep those Drones off of us, and away from mining their own--!” A sudden explosion of light and concussive force cut him off; sending his star fighter spinning away from where he original intended to go. “NERTZ! What the--!?”

“ _Head’s up, Techs!_ ” Russell’s voice warned. “ _Those Drones did not come alone! Bandit ships, coming in fast at one-hundred meters and closing!_ ”

Sure enough, a phalanx of larger, far-uglier pixel-forms came soaring from behind a larger asteroid. These crimson fighters were firing off small missiles that streaked towards the Techs’ fighters, before blossoming into vivid explosions of heat and energy. The blast force scattered the Techs like so much chaff in the face of a hurricane wind.

“We’re not going to get organized, unless we stop running and start fighting smart!” Mitch groused. “Fives! Get on those mobs, so we can start mining crystals! Hurry!”

“I’m on it! Miko, Zahra, Nix! Let’s wreck these fools! Form up on me,” Hector commanded, as he punched in three breaker switches to boost his fighter’s speed. “We’re goin’ in!”

The quartet of star fighters wheeled around, forming a lop-sided ‘wedge’ as they raced towards the oncoming Bandits. As the mobs concentrated together to form a mass-wall against them, Hector and the others aimed their ‘noses’ towards them; targeting computers and sight-recticles lining up with a solid tone of a lock-on.

“Fire!”

Four streams of blaster plasma flared into life, slicing through the enemy formation and leaving scattered Plixel clouds and quickly-evaporating energy behind. As the four fighters raced through the digital remains, Hector craned his head around to look for Mitch’s group. “We’re clearing the area, Mitch! How’s it going on your end?”

“ _We’re on top of a BIG asteroid,_ ” Mitch reported. “ _We’re gathering crystals as quick as we can, but these dumb rocks don’t seem to have a large amount of them inside!_ ”

“ _That’s par for the course,_ ” Phil said. “ _In the Oh-Gee game, you had to mine a LOT of asteroids to get the requisite bombs to finish off the boss!_ ”

“ _Right, we’re finished with this one . . . only four bombs made!_ ” Mitch said.

“Only FOUR?” Zahra asked.

”That’s n-not going to b-be enough!” Bergy stuttered.

“ _Moving off to another asteroid,_ ” Mitch reported. “ _Looks like we’re all going to have to double the effort to get ALL the bombs!_ ”

“Keep it going,” Hector said. “We’ll keep the bugs off your windshields!” Looking back around, he spied another cluster of Bandits and Drones not too far off. “Come on, Fire Team! We’re not done with these mobs yet!”

  
# xOx #

Command Board, Main Lobby,  
Glitch Tech HQ Main Level....

Russell had his eyes glued to the main screen, while his hands flew across the various controls and switches to fine-tune the data and readings coming to him. “Maintain your attack patterns, Fire Team. A perimeter of several hundred meters will give the others enough time to finish making bombs,” he said. Looking down at a smaller screen, he switched comm-circuits and said, “Phil, Sir! What is your reading, _prosim?_ Do you have any locus on the Boss Glitch?”

“ _Nothing yet,_ ” Phil reported back. “ _But, at the rate these mobs are going after the Teams, they must be making progress faster than we believed!_ ” There was a pause. “ _Can you tweak the array a bit? Give us a better readout?_ ”

“ _Ano._ Momentary, please.” Russell slid over to an auxiliary panel and thumbed a pair of rheostat controls, before flipping three switches in sequence. “Boosted active sweeps. Will try to probe the center of the Mapper’s main center,” he said. Rolling back across to the main board, he hit two more buttons, and looked up as the main screen divided into thirds; projecting the Team’s locations, a vid-link of the team’s lead ships, and a overview of all the interior environ his systems could scan. “Sweeps are scanning . . . scanning . . . and--?!” He sucked in a harsh breath, as his eyes fixed on a HUGE mass revealed on his readout. “ _Zkurvysyn! Závada!_ Phil! Team Leaders! Have located the Glitch Boss, and his current locus!”

“ _That’s good news, right!?_ ” Hector asked.

“ _From the tone of his voice-- UGH! That didn’t sound good to me!_ ” Mitch snapped, and the howl of engines echoed over his comm-channel.

“Ne, it is not! The Glitch has been very active! The Evulstar is at seventy-percent completion, and . . . is near a large enough cluster of asteroids to finish construction quickly!”

“ _What’s the estimate to completion, Russell?_ ” Phil asked.

Russell looked at a few smaller readouts, and shook his head. “Data indicates Evulstar will be complete in approximately two minutes!”

Phil said tersely, “ _We’re going to have to commit our reserves, then! I’m sending in the Back-Up Team to rendezvous with your Team, Fives! You’re going to have to take the fight to the Evulstar’s construction base, and stop them from finishing it._ ”

“W _hat about Mitch and the others? They’ll be sitting ducks without our cover-fire!_ ” Nix said.

There was a snort. “ _We can take care of ourselves! Haneesh and I can run cover for Bergy and Chris,_ ” Mitch said. “ _They can finish harvesting the rest of the bombs._ ”

“Is no time to argue,” Russell said. “Fire Team, head for Northwest Quadrant. Reserve Team will meet you partway. Will provide overview when you reach the enemy base!”

“ _Russell’s right,_ ” Phil said. “ _The Reserve Team’s already inside! Get moving!_ ”

“ _Understood, Sir. Zahra, Nix, Miko, let’s GO!_ ”

Russell turned to punch in a new command, and looked up to follow the progress of the two star fighter teams as they raced towards the enemy base. “I am with you, Techs. Continue at present speed. One minute and forty-seconds to Evulstar’s completion . . . .”

  
# xOx #

“IncoMING, Extra-LARGE!!!”

The space around the asteroids became a swarm of Bandits, Drones and a few new mobs yet to be faced, as the eight star fighters being led by Hector burst into the clear near a massive lattice-work network of girders; the center of which was dominated by a nearly-complete structure that resembled a spiked ring with an open hole in the center.

Sending a hailstorm of blaster fire out to meet the oncoming enemy, the star fighters arced, swerved, juked, and raced alongside each other, while wiping out scores of the mobs in the process.

Miko was trailing at Hector’s left wingtip, keeping well in range to support him as the mobs grew denser and more coordinated. “Fives! Ten more Bandits at nine-o’clock!” She dipped her fighter in concert with her partner, and they raked the space in front of the approaching mobs with concentrated fire.

As the Bandits burst into pixel-shrapnel, the pair sailed through their remains and swung around to join their teams.

“Woo-HOO! Eat that, you--!” Miko yelped as a score of missiles raced past her cockpit. “Yike!” She whipped her head around, watching as the projectiles continued onward; not one turning around to target her ship. “Wait, what just happened?”

“ _Those were dum-dums,_ ” Hector said through her headset. “ _They’re one shot and they just keep going if they miss. Still, we can’t let our guard down! The defenses around the base are sure to get harder!_ ”

“We’ve got this, Fives!” Miko said. “As many Drones as we’ve Kay-Oh’ed, we’ve surely slowed down the progress of the Boss being built. Right?”

“ _Ne,_ ” Russell’s voice said in her ear. “ _Evulstar Completion at eighty-five percent. One minute and counting!_ ”

“Auuugh, what does it take to stop them!?” Miko groused.

“ _Focus, Miko! We’ve got to do the best we can, until Mitch and the others have the Bombs harvested,_ ” Hector told her.

“ _Here comes the Reserves!_ ” Zahra said, just as another quartet of Tech star fighters raced across another asteroid, into Miko’s view field. They started to form up, but suddenly one of the ships spun out of control as a Bandit mob slammed into it.

“ _Crud! Jake!_ ”  
“ _Quick! Everyone form up on me! We can’t let ourselves get exposed to these goons!_ ”

Miko turned to follow Hector, when she saw the edge of her star fighter’s wing flicker and de-rezz for a split second. “Huh? What hit me?”

“ _Miko? Are you alright?_ ”

She blinked, just as the wing reformed again. “I . . . I’m fine! Let’s get this Glitch!”

The group swooped through the scattered asteroids; hitting more drones, Bandits and tougher mobs in succession. After a sudden lull, they broke through into a large, clear space . . . and there, in the center was the objective of their attack. The massive structure that looked like a ring of metal, with spikes, horns, and weapons-abound had only a large hole in the center. Over this, several drones were building up new material that appeared to be forming the lower jaw of a giant face!

“ _Ooooh, Nertz!_ ” Hector muttered. “ _THAT, is, one BIG--AAAH!_ ” An explosion cut him off short, as a new swarm of Evulstar’s defenders raced down upon the attackers.

“Fives!?” Miko swerved to look for him, and shot three mobs in succession before she saw his star fighter being flanked by Zahra’s ship. “Fives!”

“ _I’ve got him, Miko!_ ” Zahra said, as the sound of her blasters could be heard over the comm. “ _Lil’ suckers are quicker than usual! Got behind us, before we even noticed!_ ”

“ _Is possible the Glitch senses our intent,_ ” Russell’s voice cautioned. “ _Defenses must to being stepped up in response!_ ”

From somewhere else, Nix added, “ _That’s affirmative! Looks like the Glitch just pulled out ALL the stops! I’m detecting several defensive systems coming online all over this area!_ ”

Miko grimaced. “So, what do we do now?”

Zahra said, “ _We have to clear out some of this trash, and whittle down those defenses, before Mitch and the others get here!_ ”

“ _Right,_ ” Hector said; his ship and Zahra’s coming up alongside Miko. “ _Thanks, Zahra! Everyone! Go for the traps and wipe out as many as you can! Mitch!? What’s your status?_ ”

“ _We’re almost done here!_ ” Mitch reported. “ _A couple more bombs to go!_ ”

Suddenly, Miko heard a warning tone come from her gauntlet. Looking down, she saw the large, Triangle-bracket-and-Exclamation mark and gasped. “Oh no! No, no-no-nonoNO! Fives! Something happened to my gauntlet!” She looked back up, just in time to see the cockpit around her flicker like the Plixel material was being shorted out. “Ooooo, NERTZ! I think I’m gonna lose my star ship?!”

“ _Miko! Where are you!?_ ”

Trying to get her bearings, Miko all but shrieked as the sensor readout literally disintegrated under her fingers. “I-I don’t know!” She whipped her head around, looking on in horror as more components and parts were disassembling around her. “My ship’s breaking up!” She tried to access the app on her gauntlet, but nothing she did worked. “I can’t stop it!”

“ _Does anyone have eyes on her?!?_ ” Hector shouted.

“ _I do! She’s about fifty-meters down range of the Evulstar!_ ” Someone reported. “ _There’s a LOT of Drones and Demons between us!_ ”

“Fives! Someone! Help me!” Miko tried to look for something to hold on to, but in the next breath, her star fighter came completely apart; leaving her sailing along on pure momentum. “AAAAHH!” She reflexively tried to summon Ally, but again her gauntlet didn’t respond. Out of sheer fright, she kicked off from the last remnants of her Plixel-construct, aiming for a small asteroid nearby. Bracing, she hit and bounced once, before she managed to grab hold of the space-rock and keep from flying away.

“ _Miko? Miko!?_ ” Hector’s voice was frantic. “ _Are you all right???_ ”

Catching her breath, Miko tapped her headset’s comm-switch. “My fighter’s gone, and I’m on one of the smaller asteroids!” She looked around, wincing as several Demons screamed by as they pursued another Tech in their fighter. “I don’t think the Evulstar’s goons can see me . . . yet!” She looked around, and caught sight of the large, swirling object that was spinning slowly as it appeared to be advancing towards her. “Ummm, guys? Did this game have black holes!?”

“ _Black holes?!_ ” Phil sounded alarmed.

“ _That’s a Gravity Well!_ ” Nix said urgently. “ _In the original game, It can suck in player ships to destroy them!_ ”

Miko gave a weak laugh. “Well, that’s nice but, right now . . . I’M NOT IN A SHIP!” She shrieked, and tried to kick off another rock fragment to try to distance herself from the encroaching trap. To her horror, the fragment bounced off another, and was caught by the Gravity Well’s pull. It was sucked straight inside its maw, where it dissolved into so much pixelated matter and was swallowed whole.

“Guys! Seriously . . . GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

  
# xOx #

  
“ _. . . we’ve got to get to her, now!_ ”

Russell’s face was filled with alarm, as his fingers froze over the command keys on his console. _No . . . Miko!_ His mind raced for some form of solution, but it didn’t look good. From the images on the screen, he knew not the the others would reach her in time!

“ _Can’t get through! GAH! Swarmers, too thick!_ ”  
“ _Watch out! Those Dum-Dums are also getting intense!_ ”  
“ _Can anyone reach her!?_ ”

Blinking, Russell shoved back from the console and raised his gauntlet. “In such desperate times . . . !” He made a single swipe, then stabbed his finger down on a colored icon that looked like a man-shaped object.

As the sound of a revving engine spilled out of his gauntlet’s speaker, he turned himself around -- just as his chair seemed to unfold around him -- and faced one of the remaining Tech Vans.

“Engage Portal Canon!” He ordered. “Initiate Emergency Portal! Location . . . Field Team Command Unit!”

  
# xOx #

  
“Can anyone get to Miko!?” Phil shouted into his mic.

“ _Negative! Too many swarmers and demons!_ ”  
” _We’re pinned here, too! Blasted Tank Turrets!_ ”  
“ _Miko! We’re coming for you! JUST HOLD ON!!!_ ”

Phil turned from the console, looking grimly at the aperture in front of them. “Blast it! I’m not going to let a Tech go down. Not this time!” He lifted his gauntlet, and started to key up the star-fighter app.

“W-w-w-WARNING!” BITT cautioned. “An Unscheduled portal i-i-is being activated!”

“What!?” Phil turned, just in time to see a Tech Transport canon pop up from one of the vans, triggering a blue blast of energy that formed a portal right near the aperture. He started to move towards it, when a large, white blur rocketed out from it and surged towards the opening in the Glitch’s barrier.

Jerking back, Phil asked, “BITT, what the heck is that!?”

“Object is i-i-i-identified as a Tech Servo-suit, M-M-Mark-One!”

Phil blinked. “I never authorized a call-up for a Servo-suit?!” Before he could voice any objections, the object was through the aperture and soaring through the space environment beyond.

“Danger! Evuls-s-star is now twenty-five s-s-seconds from completion!” BITT warned.

  
# xOx #

Deeking from another volley from a swarm of minion drones, Hector growled and rolled his ship; firing a wide spray of blaster bolts. “ _Madre de Dios!_ They’re not letting us get through!”

From beside him, Zahra added, “ _It’s like they know one of us is in trouble!_ ”

“ _Well, somebody needs to find a gap and get through to Miko!_ ” Mitch’s voice said. “ _We need a clear shot to take down that Boss, and we can’t do that if someone’s in the blast-zone!_ ”

“We’re trying! We’re trying!” Hector said. He suddenly balked as he twisted his controls, barely avoiding a Floating Tank that nearly skewered him with it’s lasers. “MIKO!? Don’t let go! I’ll save you--Huh?!” His words were cut off, as the proximity alarm in his fighter started blaring. “What in the world--!?”

Zahra had clearly seen it too, as she asked, “ _Um, anyone else seeing this? Major object coming up into the battle zone . . . and it’s moving fast!_ ”

“ _Techs! Be advised,_ ” Phil’s voice cut through on the circuit. “ _There’s a Servo-Suit coming in hot on your location! I don’t know who’s flying it, but--!_ ”

“A . . . Servo-Suit?” Hector twisted his head around; just in time to catch the fast-flying blur that was knifing through the mobs, leaving a trail of explosions in its wake. “Anyone else got eyes on it!?”

“ _Affirmative!_ ” Nix said. “ _It . . . wait! It’s not going after the Evulstar, it--!_ ”

A sudden, thundering, vocalized voice cut through the comm-channel, saying just one, simple, terrifying phrase:

**“BEWARE! I, AM, ONLINE!!!”**

Hector felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Oh . . . nertz!” he said meekly, before he drew in a deep breath at the sight of the massive, moon-sized construct that suddenly loomed into view. With massive spikes, ventilators and bristling with weapons, the Evulstar’s huge, robotic skull-face seemed to stare right at each Tech with specific malice and hate.

**“’WARE, COWARDS! I WILL . . . DELETE YOU!”**

“Oh, nertz, nertz, NERTZ!” Hector shouted. “The Evulstar’s gone ACTIVE!”

There was a burst of static, then Zarha’s voice cut through with a frantic tone: “ _Mitch! We need you here, NOW!_ ”

“ _I don’t think we have enough bombs!_ ” Bergy replied.

“ _Everyone just get it together!_ ” Mitch snapped. “ _We’re not going to just let this Glitch roll us over! Form on my wings! We’re going after the Evulstar!_ ”

Even as his hands seemed to instinctively turn his fighter around, Hector cried out, “But, wait! What about Miko!?”

# xOx #

Feeling the strain of the onset of the Gravity Trap’s pull, Miko frantically looked around for any sign of her friends’ star fighters. Come-on-come-on-comeoncomeon-Nertz! Where’s a repair tech when I need one! She looked down at her gauntlet with a fear-filled expression. She had tried everything and anything to get it to work, but it was as inoperable as it was when her fighter de-rezzed.

“Fives! I hope you’re coming, but I really wish you’d get her sooner!” she said into her head-set. She looked back down at the asteroid she clung to; seeing the edges beginning to pixelate and break away as she got closer to the Gravity Well. She scrabbled backwards, trying to put as much of the plixel-rock between her and the irresistible force clawing at it. Peering around the fracturing edge, and seeing how the plixel-matter was being sucked down and destroyed by the trap, Miko turned pale at the thought of herself being pulled inside it.

“Oh man! I could really use a turn of luck right now!” She glanced to her right, and spied another small asteroid slowly drifting by, just out of the Gravity Well’s reach. She made a quick mental calculation, then grunted as she crouched down on the shrinking asteroid she rode. “Well, better hope this works!” She drew in a deep breath, then bounced once and sent herself soaring away from the trap. Her momentum seemed to be enough to send her clear to the safety of the passing asteroid . . . but to her despair, the Gravity Well suddenly surged in power and caught her just as surely as it had the hunk of space rock behind her.

“Oooo, NERTZ! AAAAH!”

As the pull on her body intensified, Miko flailed her arms and legs to attempt to slow herself. She was so focused on not being sucked down, she didn’t notice the sudden roar of engines coming in from the side. Just a few meters away from the maw of the trap, Miko suddenly felt herself hit against something solid. “OOF!” Before she could register the sudden stop, a pair of metal arms enfolded her body in a firm embrace, just before two columns of blue flame flared to life below her. Looking up, she was shocked to see the wide-domed head of a . . . a BITT-unit?

_No, wait . . . this doesn’t look like BITT!_ Staring at the chunkier, blockier body and limbs, she though, I _T looks like one of those old cyber-suits Phil told us about! But what’s it doing out here?_

Even as she stared up at it, the head swiveled down to look at her; just a pair of simple eye-icons in the tactile vision-field of its face. “ **~Do not worry,~** ” a synthesized voice told her. “ **~I have you now.~** ”

“You . . . have me!?” Miko looked around, noticing that it was still struggling against the pull of the Gravity Well. “Who’s got you!? We’re still--!”

“ **~A moment, please!~** ” The construct seemed to hang motionless in the well of the tremendous gravity-force, only to surge forwards as the rocket-pods on its legs blazed even brighter. With increasing thrust, the Servo-Unit arced away from the Gravity Well, carrying her to relative safety.

Clinging to it’s arms, Miko looked around frantically for her friends and for the enemy mobs that were certainly milling about.

“ **~Be not afraid. Sensors report there are no enemies in our immediate vicinity,~** ” the Unit said calmly.

“I’m not afraid for myself! My friends are the one’s who need help!” Miko said. When she saw they were headed back away from the fighting, she said, “Wait! Where are you going?” The Unit turned on it’s axis, and looking up from her position it its arms, she could see the battle still raging above. “The fight’s back that way!”

“ **~That is not my priority,~** ” that synth-voice replied. “ **~Your safety must be assured.~** ”

At that, Miko said, “Safe?! No one’s gonna be safe if that Glitch somehow breaks out of here!” She twisted around and gave the Unit’s shoulder a sound thump with her fist. “Turn around, right now! I’ve got to help them!”

At that, the Unit’s head turned, it’s optics regarding her with intense focus. “ **~You have no gauntlet to fight with, yet you still wish to fight the Evulstar?~** ”

“True deal! I can’t let my friends get hurt because I couldn’t or wasn’t able to fight!” Miko said, peering up to see if she could pick out her friend’s star fighters among the millrace of mobs. “Oh no . . . looks like it’s getting intense up there!”

The Unit slowed down, looking upwards as well. “ _~Sensors report Evulstar is now complete. Tech Units must engage with cluster bombs to defeat it.~_ ”

“Question is, can they do it, with that Boss Glitch complete?” Miko asked.

The Servo-Unit appeared to square itself, before saying, “ **~We shall see.~** ” With that, the Servo-Unit shifted Miko around to put her on its back. “ **~Hold on.~** ”.

Miko scrabbled for something on the Unit to hold onto, only to find a pair of hand grips extending from its shoulders. Taking hold, she gasped when a wide belt extruded from somewhere inside it; securing her firmly against itself. “Woah! What are you-?!”

“ _~The Evulstar must be stopped, and we will help your friends!~_ ” The Unit said.

“Wait!” Miko ordered. “You can’t just go charging in there,” she said. “We need a plan!”

The Unit’s head turned around, canting forward to peer at her. “ _~You have a plan?~_ ”

Miko looked askance for a second. Then, she grinned. “Yeah, I have an idea, but . . . can you get us a couple of those cluster bombs?”

The Unit’s head bobbed once. “ **~Affirmative.~** ” With that, the Servo-Unit changed direction, and raced towards the battlefield above.

# xOx #

The clustered fighters of the Techs were skirting a massive wave of drones and demons, which had put itself in front of the Evulstar. Mitch had ordered them to release a cluster of the bombs towards their target, but the bombs had been deflected or destroyed by the millrace of mobs.

“ _Oh, BOOSH! They’re working like a shield to protect the Boss!_ ” he shouted. “ _We’ve got to get around them, or get an angle on the target!_ ”

Hector said, “Easier said than done, Mitch! The swarm’s too thick, and--UGH!” He snapped his fighter to the side, avoiding a pair of demons as they came screaming by. “I don’t think we have enough firepower to cut through them!”

“ _Well, somebody come up with a plan!_ ” Zahra said. “ _We can’t stay like this! Sooner or later that Boss is going to start coming after us! WOAH!_ ” Her voice pitched up in alarm, as several minions collided with a stream of blaster fire from behind her.

A new star fighter, with BITT docked to its fuselage roared into view. “ _Techs! The time for talk is over! We’re punching through to take this Glitch out!_ ” Phil said.

“ _If you’ve got a way to do that, Sir, I’m sure we’re all waiting to hear it,_ ” Nix said.

Hector grimly stared ahead; the clusters of defenders, the waiting defensive traps, and the Evulstar itself made him quail in fear. _We might not have one . . . but, we’ve got to do this! He thought. But . . . how-!?_

A sudden voice burst over the comm-circuit: “ _Fives! Get everyone together and information!_ ”

Hector and every Tech in the vanguard looked startled and surprised. “Miko!? Is that you?”

“ _It isn’t Chomp Kitty, partner!_ ” There was the sound of heavy blaster fire filtering through her speech. “ _I’m still in this fight . . . thanks to a new arrival!_ ”

Phil asked, “ _The Servo-Unit!? You found it!_ ” There was a pause. “ _Who’s flying it!?_ ”

“ _Not important right now, Boss! We’ve got a plan to take out the Glitch, but you need to do whatever you can to keep the Evulstar’s focus off of me!_ ” The sound of rockets flaring interrupted her briefly. “ _Throw everything you’ve got at it, and don’t hold back!_ ”

“But, what are you going to do?” Hector asked. 

“W _hat we always do, Fives,_ ” she replied. “ _Make our strategy work! Now, get on the ball! I’m coming in to the zone, and me and my new Bot-Buddy are coming in HOT!_ ”

Hector swerved his fighter around, and caught sight of a bright streak arcing up from down below; the Servo-Unit, with rockets flaring and blasters blazing through the enemy mobs like twin blades of light. Peering closer, he could see Miko -- strapped to its back -- as she appeared to have a small cluster of the all-important bombs trailing behind them.

“ _Fives! What are you doing?_ ” Zahra asked.

“I’ve got eyes on Miko and the Servo! They’re cutting through the swarms from below!” He re-focused his attention forward, and with a hitch in his shoulders, he made a decision. “Zahra, Phil, Mitch! Everyone! Form up on me, stick tight and follow my lead! We’re going along with Miko’s plan,” he said.

Phil said, “ _Woah-woah, waitaminute! Are you sure-?_ ”

“ _Fives, we’re not gonna be able to last long against that Glitch!_ ” Mitch fired back. “ _Not in a direct, frontal assault!_ ”

“We’re not going to beat him,” Hector said firmly. “Just keep him focused on us! Everyone, Form up and follow me, NOW!” With that, he jammed his fighter’s throttle to the sticking point; engines howling as he shot forward, towards the massive Evulstar.

Behind him, a sporadic sequence of engine firings followed. “ _Aaaah, BOOSH! Don’t let him get incinerated, Techs! Follow Fives, and lets give this crazy strategy a go!_ ” Mitch added under his breath over the circuit, “ _Just hope this loony scheme does work!_ ”

Hector grinned. “With Miko’s plans, things often DO work!”

# xOx #

As they cut their way through the swarming drones, demons, and other mobs, Miko looked up and away from their path, spying the multiple flare-trails of a good dozen sources. “Great! Fives got them to go along with the plan!”

Indeed, the sudden concentrated wall of blaster fire -- now focused on the Boss Glitch’s construct form -- had the affect she’d hoped for. Slowly, the Evulstar had shifted to face the incoming fighters, leaving his flank and rear relatively exposed.

Save for a few dozen squadrons of mobs to boil down towards Miko and the Servo-Unit’s oncoming charge!

Gripping her hand-hold tighter, Miko leaned in over the Unit’s shoulder and asked. “We’ve got our shot, but, can you get us close enough?”

“ **~Indeed!~** ” The Unit’s arms suddenly separated along their central axis, before separating into four pieces that reformed into four, powerful-looking blaster canons. As well, two boxy constructs appeared from its side, revealing the hidden launch-arrays that were brimming with a double-score of micro-missles.

Miko grinned. “That’s what I like, Buddy-Bot! Now, let’s plow the road!” With a gutsy cheer, she held on for dear life as they surged towards the enemy mobs. Canon blazing, the Servo-Unit raked the incoming swarm with heavy fire, and followed up with wave after wave of missiles; tearing up cluster after cluster of mobs with relative ease.

Even with greater numbers, the mobs were systematically whittled down and wiped out of pixelated-existance. As the last drone spun off into a tornado of pixel-dust, Miko and the Servo-Unit raced onward, soaring alongside the massive hulk of the Evulstar’s unprotected flank.

“ **~Approaching the top,~** ” the Unit’s voice said.

“Look for a weak spot! It’s the only thing outside of a total bombardment that will-AHAH!” Miko grinned as she spotted a white “X” mark in a red bubble icon; which was surrounded by girders and giant spikes near the top of the Evulstar’s head. “That’s the target, Buddy!”

“ _Miko!_ ” Hector called frantically. “ _What’s your ‘sitch!? We’re getting hammered out here!_ ”

“We’ve got this, Partner!” Miko slapped the side of the Unit’s shoulder. “Go for it! These bombs should do the trick!” As they raced towards their goal, the Evulstar appeared to sense them; as several large, metallic tentacles suddenly sprouted out of its body and reached out to ensnare them. “YIPE!” Miko ducked low, holding fast to the Unit as it deeked to get out of the tentacle’s reach.

“ **~Hold fast!~** ” The Unit whipped up one arm, the pair of canons on that arm blazing away with streams of coherent plasma-light. Two tentacles were sheered away, and a third was ripped apart to expose the inner-mechanisms. Dropping underneath it, the Unit snapped off three more shots, before dashing forwards to get closer to the weak-point. “ **~Ready the Mines, Miko!~** ”.

Looking up from where she clung to it, Miko blinked and said, “Just hope this works, or Fives and the others aren’t going to survive this!”

The Unit boosted itself over another lashing tentacle. “ **~Get Ready!~** ” Suddenly, another tentacle smashed it in the side; sending them skidding sideways into a spin.

“WOAH!” Miko nearly lost her grip on both her ride and the mines. Struggling, she only just hung on by her fingertips, keeping in close as the Unit fought to regain control. As the tentacle came back for another swipe, the Unit snapped out another concentrated blast and blew it apart. The resulting backlash gave the Unit enough counter-force to correct itself, and return to their original attack course. “Things are really getting too tentacle-ly around here! Let’s blow this sucker up and get clear, Partner!”

“ **~Affirmative!~** ”

Suddenly, they were right over the X-mark.

“Bombs away!” Miko shouted, twisting around to launch the three mines at the X-mark. She then clamped both hands down around the hand-grips on the Unit, holding on for dear life as it launched itself upwards; rockets blazing like miniature suns to get clear.

# xOx #

Below, the Techs were weaving and whirling, avoiding the majority of the Evulstar’s battery of blasters, missile-tubes and other weapons. But with each passing second, they were taking more and more hits as the encroaching swarms of drones and other mobs tightened the noose.

“ _Sure would like to hear what Miko’s doing!_ ” Mitch said tersely. “ _We’re gonna be toast if we don’t get clear soon!_ ”

From his own fighter, Phil replied, “ _If she doesn’t pipe up soon, we’re gonna have to take the risk and charge in ourselves! Frontal assault or whatever, we’ve got to stop this Glitch!_ ”

“ _Yeah, slight problem with that!_ ” Zahra said. “ _Every time we’ve launched a mine at that thing, it does something to take it out before it gets hit!_ ”

Suddenly, Bergy shouted, “ _HEY, I see Miko! She’s up there!_ ”

Hector looked up; his eyes traveling up along the heights of the Evulstar, where he saw a white-blue streak of engine fire arcing away from the top of the construct. Split seconds later, three tremendous explosions went off, rocking the superstructure of the Evulstar in its entirety. “Holey Guacamole! They must’ve did some major damage!” Spinning his fighter around, he asked, “Nix! What’s your readings!?”

Nix took a second to reply. “ _The Evulstar’s power level just fell three-quarters!_ ” Another pause, before Nix said excitedly, “ _What’s more, the drones and other defenders just lost the primary control signal! The Evulstar’s becoming defenseless!_ " Sure enough, outside the mass of drones and defender mobs were no longer moving in a coordinated defense. They were drifting and falling apart in to disorganized clusters and clumps.

Hector grinned. “Now’s our chance, Phil!”

“ _Right! Techs, let’s drive this one home!_ ” Phil turned along with his reserve fighters, forming a flanking formation next Mitch’s bombers. “ _Fives! Take the right! We’ll hold the Left! Mitch-?!_ ”

“ _I know! We’ll bomb the snot out of it!_ ” There was a change it pitch, as all the fighter’s engines howled with increased power. “ _Let’s knock the BOOSH out of that oversized-Glitch container!_ ”

# xOx #

As they arced back around, Miko and the Servo-Unit could see the Tech’s formation racing towards the Evulstar. “Think they can make it?” she asked.

“ **~Indeed,~** ” the Unit repled. “ **~Concentrate enough mines, and the Evulstar will fall apart!~** ”

Miko grinned, saying “Woohoo! Final Fight mode!” Just then, her face fell into shock, as she looked at what was below them; coming into view over her friend’s fighters. “Oh no! There’s a cluster of demons coming in above them! They won’t be able to get out of their line of fire!” She slapped the Unit’s shoulder hard. “Go, Go-Go! We have to help them!”

“ **~Agreed!~** ” The Unit wheeled over, diving for the rear of the demon formation with incredible speed.

# xOx #

“ _We’re locked in!_ ” Mitch said. “ _Just hold them off for a few seconds longer!_ ”

Hector and his flankers were picking off strays as they raced towards the vulnerable Boss. He made a quick check around them . . . just in time to hear the proximity alarm scream in his headset. “Woah!” Looking up on reflex, his face went pale at the sight of a double-score of demons diving down on them. “Ooooo, NERTZ! Demons coming down from above! Evade!”

“ _We can’t!_ ” Mitch groused. “ _We’re locked into our bombing run!_ ”

Hector grimaced and swerved his fighter around. “Protect the bombers, everyone!” He started to aim his ship at the mobs, but to his utter shock, they started to explode as a murderous rain of blaster fire came screaming in from behind the attackers. “What the-!?” 

As the clouds of Plixel-pixilated mater dispersed, the large, bulky form of the Servo-Unit came blasting through, with a familiar, cheering, purple-haired girl clinging to its back.

“Miko! You made it!” Hector said, the relief apparent in his voice.

“ _You didn’t think I was gonna leave you guys hangin’, did ya!?_ ” Miko asked with a laugh. “ _Now, let’s wreck this fool!_ ”

Hector drew his attention back to the rest of the team; already past and rocketing towards the huge skull-face of the Evul star. “Let’s do this!” With a shout of encouragement, Hector joined Miko and the Unit as they swooped in to join the others in their final attack.

# xOx #

The whole front of the Evulstar’s superstructure was wreathed in massive energy discharges. The skull-face itself was twisted and warped, as if it was in extreme pain.

“ _Aim for the face,_ ” Phil ordered. " _That’s got to be the primary weak point!_ ”

As if somehow listening in, the Evulstar’s face spread wide; its mouth opening as if it let go with a howl of pain. Through the open mouth, the brief appearance of another white X on a red dome-shape could be seen.

“ _I’d say that’s affirmative, Boss,_ ” Nix quipped.

“ _Mitch, think you can make that shot count?_ ” Zahra asked.

With a chuckle, Mitch said, “Just watch me!” He hit two switches on his command panel. “Mining team, link your fire control to mine,” he ordered. “We do this, once and we’ll finish that Glitch for good!”

“ _Right with you, Mitch!_ ” Haneesh said. “ _Weapons locked to your signal._ ”

The flankers cleared the last of the mobs, allowing for the four ships of Team Miner to swoop up and arc towards the Evulstar’s face. Sensing their approach, the giant face turned its gaze downwards, and several hidden plasma canons suddenly sprang into view. Before they could fire, a blue-white blur swept across the massive face; raining down a firestorm of blaster bolts and missiles. In rapid sequence, the last of the Evulstar’s defenses were wiped away.

“ _Miko!_ ” Hector exclaimed.

As the Servo-Unit peeled off from its attack, Miko glanced behind herself and said, “ _You’re all clear, Dingle-berry! So let’s BLOW this thing and go home!_ ”

The Evulstar bellowed; a sound that was filled with pain and anger: **“YOU! CANNOT! WIN!”**

With a savage snarl of satisfaction, Mitch lined his aiming system up with the weak point in the Evulstar’s mouth. A quick check to see that the rest of his team’s mines were linked and ready, he peered up at the massive face. “That’s what they ALL say!” With a jerk, he pulled the firing trigger on his flight stick. “FIRE!”

From the phalanx of four fighters, a cluster of ten mines launched themselves towards the Boss’ open mouth. The Evul Star started to close it, but it was too late: all of the mines were already inside, just as the titanic jaws slammed shut.

“Break off, now!” Mitch ordered. As all of his team and the remaining Techs did likewise, he skewed back around to watch, as a sudden rippling of purple energy spread out from the Evulstar’s center. The massive Boss let out another roar -- this one in hopeless anger-tinged fear -- before the entire superstructure came apart in a brilliant, energy-fueled explosion! So massive was the blast, it consumed several remaining clumps of asteroids, as well as remaining defensive drones, demons and other sundry.

“ _Yes! We DID IT!_ ” Phil cheered.

“ _Aww, YEAH! Glitch Techs do it again!_ ” Zahra crowed.

Sweeping back around, Nix peered into the rapidly fading super-nova of the Evulstar’s destruction. “We destroyed the base, all right . . . but, where’s the Glitch?!?”

“Oh, Boosh!” Mitch cranked his controls to swerve back towards the Evulstar’s last locus. “Nix is right! This isn’t over until we bag that Mapper Glitch!”

“ _Hey, I see it!_ ” Hector cautioned. He made a gesture from his sensor readout. “ _It’s there, right in the center of the blast zone!_ ”

“ _We need to get to it, before it can escape or reform a core for a new Evulstar!_ ” Phil said. “ _Techs! We--AHH!_ ” A blur whipped by his cockpit, making him flinch.

“Leave this to us, Boss!” Miko said, urging the Servo-Unit from her perch up on its back. They zoomed past tatters of Plixel mater, racing in on their final target. “Hey, you have enough memory to contain that slug?” She pointed towards the Glitch; which actually resembled a huge, slow-moving blob with a vestigial skull face on it’s center.

The Unit’s arms were snapping back into their normal configurations, as it pulled up in range of the floating Glitch. “ **~I believe I can, Miko.~** ” Raising one arm, the Unit’s hand folded back into itself to form the focusing aperture of a Tech Gauntlet’s capture lens. There was a flash, as the purple containment-beam lanced out to encompass the Root-Form Glitch. With a howling shriek, the Plixel construct was vacuumed into the Servo-Unit’s arm, before the universal tone of a successful containment alarm echoed throughout the space field.

_**“//GLITCH CONTAINED\\\”** _

Miko howled with a victory call. “We did it! We bagged that Glitch!”

All of the Techs cheered, and for a brief moment it seemed to be all they could do. Then, as their cheers died down, there was a sudden realization as the entire environ around them wavered, then it quickly started to de-rezz from the point where the Glitch had been.

Miko gulped. “Uh-oh. That’s not good.”

The Servo-Unit said, “ **~Warning! Mapper Environ destabilizing!~** ”

“ _That’s a wrap! Everyone outside now!_ ” Phil ordered.

The assembled Techs turned and raced for the anchored portal, their star fighters pushing along until they barely reached the threshold, before the apps disassembled their Plixel constructs to allow each Tech to exit back into the real world.

As Phil landed on his feet, BITT said, “Alert! Mapper-space is collapsing! All T-T-Techs must exit the area, before it c-collapses completely!”

Skidding to a halt next to Bergy and Nix, Mitch turned around in time to see the others -- with Hector coming right behind Zahra and Haneesh -- get out as well. “Where’s Miko!?”

As everyone else did, Hector turned, looking very worried as the edges of the portal were beginning to fray. “C’mon, Miko! _Muevete_ , Girl!”

Just as the anchors were starting to lose their hold on the opening, the Servo-Unit burst into the clear and sailed over the Tech’s heads; sailing over to land just in front of the cluster of Tech Vans with a heavy THUD!. Behind everyone, the last remnants of the Mapper’s environ disolved into nothing, leaving the portal anchors to fall away from the side of the house in a heap.

Rising from its knees, the Servo-Unit appeared to sweep the assembled Techs with its optics, before its joints sighed with a release of steam and waste heat. “ **~All Techs . . . accounted for.~** ” it said, just as Miko herself vaulted over its shoulder to land near its feet.

“Wah-HOOO! Now, that, was a RIDE!” She grinned up at the Unit and said, “You were Incredible, Partner!”

The Unit made a small gesture, before nodding to the others -- who were all approaching from all sides -- and saying, “ **~It was a team effort . . . and we all did it, Miko.~** ”

  
To Be Concluded . . . .  
.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Glitch is defeated! But, why isn't Russell celebrating with the team? Miko needs answers, and going to the source is the only solution she has.

**A GLITCH(-Tech) IN TIME: Part 3**

**A Glitch Techs story / © 2020**   
**by Stephen R. Sobotka**

**Disclaimer!** : This is a fan fiction, based on characters, settings and situations from the Nickelodeon-made and Netflix animated series “Glitch Techs”; created by Eric Robles & Dan Milano. This has been written solely for other fans of the series to enjoy, not to gain profit for the author. All characters, with exception of any that I have created for these stories, are TM and Copyrighted by Nickelodeon & Netflix, and are used without their knowledge.

Please don't sue, since this was done as a tribute to the spirit of the original manga and animated show.

 **Author’s Note** : We’re at the home stretch! Hope everyone is ready for this part, and thanks for all the support! This won’t be my last Glitch Techs fic, because I’ve got a few more in the pipeline!

As always, thanks to the fans, and to Dan and Eric for creating this show. With that said, Enjoy! -- SRS

# xOx #

_Outside the Repair Shop & Stowage,_   
_Glitch-Techs HQ, Eight Days Later . . . ._

  
Standing in the hallway, Miko cast her gaze around the area -- looking specifically towards the passage that led back to the Lobby -- and waited for any sign of any other Tech to appear.

 _It not that I don’t mind anyone else showing up, but . . . this is something I’ve got to learn for myself,_ she told herself. After Russell’s reaction to many of the other Tech’s admiration for his saving her from the Mapper Glitch, she was curious and concerned. Curious as to why he would downplay his obvious skills, and concerned after he stormed off without explanation. Stepping over to the sliding door and the intercom-box mounted on the wall, she hesitated for a brief moment. The lock was engaged, and there was no other indication that he was inside.

 _Russell clearly had issues that he was guarding close to the chest_ , Miko thought. _It isn't my place to pry . . . yet, considering how he put himself at risk to save me-?_ Her mind cast back to the moments after they’d just defeated the Mapper Glitch, with everyone safely out of the collapsing environ . . . .

# xOx #

“ **~It was a team effort . . . and we all did it together, Miko.~** ”

Looking up at the Servo-Unit, Miko smiled. “We sure did! And you were incredible . . . um, whoever you are. Just . . . who are you, anyway?”

The Servo-Unit’s head tipped downwards, regarding her briefly before saying, “ **~A friend.~** ”

Miko cocked her head to the side, and smiled. “Well, I mean I guess . . . it really doesn’t matter who you are! After all, you saved my life, and helped us bag the glitch!” She held out one hand, and after making a small gesture, she said as the Unit extended its own hand to clasp hers, “It’s probably a dumb question to ask-.”

“No, it’s a perfectly valid question, Miko!”

Looking away from the Unit in alarm, Miko blinked as Phil, Mitch, Hector and a few more Glitch Techs had formed a loose, semi-circle around them; all still wearing their armor overlays, with their gauntlets aimed at them both. _No . . . they’re all aiming at the Servo-Unit!_ “Hey, what’s going on here?”

“Stand clear, Miko,” Hector cautioned. “I’m not sure myself, but Phil’s right. We need to know who’s inside that suit!”

“Especially since they were able to get past our security protocols so easily!” Mitch said sharply.

“Whoever that is in there,” Phil said, shaking his head as he took charge, “You need to come out and identify yourself! Before this goes any further! I mean it!”

Turning to look back at the Servo-Unit, Miko squared herself, before saying, “Guys, don’t you think you’re taking this a bit too seriously!?” She would have said more, but she felt the light touch of the Unit’s hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she watched as it nudged her to the side, before it turned with both hands upraised as it faced the others.

“ **~All right . . . I will comply.~** " It said. With that, the Unit’s face plate separated and slid back, following the rest of its head as it retracted back into its body . . . revealing a familiar, red-haired head and face.

“Russell!?” Phil said, shocked to his core. In fact, a good number of the Techs were just as surprised.

“Russell?!” Mitch blinked, then shook his head as he stared at him. “What in the world-!?” He recovered and snorted. “You finally got out of your wheelchair and decided to help us?!”

“Mitch!” Phil said. “That was uncalled for.”

“Pfft! It’s only the truth, Phil,” Mitch shot back. “I mean, from the looks of things, it Seems the wrench-monkey can find some motivation to come out of his repair shop, after all!”

Russell muttered something under his breath, before he replied more directly to Phil, “I am sorry, Sir . . . considering if you felt there was any subterfuge on my part, but to be truthful, I did not have time to explain my purpose, but-.”

“That’s not what’s important here,” Mitch said tartly. “You know you’re not even authorized to be out in the field like this!”

“Wait, why would that be?” Miko asked, staring hard at Mitch, before looking back at Russell -- who stood there, his face wreathed in an embarrassed, uncomfortable expression -- and asking, “Isn’t Russell a Glitch Tech, like the rest of us?”

At that, Phil rubbed the back of his head, as he stammered, “W-Well, aaaah . . . that is . . . the truth here is that Russell is one of Hinobi’s employees. Yet, to an extent, he’s not.”

“Woah, wait a second!” Hector said, coming to stand beside Miko. “I thought all of us were Glitch Techs. It’s the only reason were all working for Hinobi . . . right?”

“Not, necessarily,” Nix said. “It’s true, most of us are hired on as Glitch Techs, but . . . ?” He looked to Phil.

“But there’s some of our employees who aren’t.” Phil shook his head. “It’s not that easy to explain here.”

“Huh?” Miko’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, your ‘Plixel-clad hero’ there isn’t really a registered Field Tech, and he shouldn’t have even been near this operation.” Mitch said snidely. “For the whole truth, he’s just a repair technician hired to work in-store for Hinobi.” He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, “Someone that’s better off fixing broken consoles and busted tech!”

Miko blinked, then looked at Russell searchingly. “Sooo . . . is this going to make trouble for him? I mean, for us?”

Phil squared himself up, saying, “Well . . . aaaah, it’s a bit more, complicated.” He started to say more, but a heavy, clearing-of-the-throat noise cut him off.

“Phil, Sir . . . please, do not say anything further,” Russell said. He made a gesture with his left hand, and the Servo-Unit suddenly expanded outwards, before it slowly but surely folded back in on itself. The end result was the parts re-configured into Russell’s heavy wheelchair; allowing the tall teenager to settle himself down in its seat.

“Wow, that’s really more than meets the eye!” Hector said.

“Wrong franchise,” Nix quipped.

“Russell, I’m sorry, but there’s going to be consequences for this,” Phil said. “I only asked you to help us out with the sensor array. For you to do this-?”

“Yeah, you really overstepped your boundaries there, Russ!” Mitch sniped. “Maybe Phil needs to give you a good reminder-!”

“A good reminder is what you need, Mitch!” Phil cut him off with a scowl. “Stop trying to micro-manage this situation!”

“Then, act like a ‘boss’ should, and begin handing out those ‘consequences’ you just mentioned!”

Russell said nothing, but sat there as Mitch and Phil got further into their argument. Not wanting to abandon him, but clearly not sure what she should do, Miko stepped closer to Zahra and the others. “This still doesn’t make sense to me,” she admitted. “Isn’t or is Russell one of us?”

Zahra and Nix exchanged a look. “Phil said it best, this whole situation is complicated, where Russell is concerned,” Nix said at length.

“Seriously, you’d need to ask Phil for the particulars,” Zahra said. “We’ve been around long enough to know Russell, but not how he got to be hired here.”

Just then, as Mitch was about to up the stakes of his argument with Phil, a loud BANG! cut across everyone’s conversations -- Russell’s fist had slammed down on the arm of his wheelchair -- just to be followed by the red-haired teens gruff voice. “ _Ach, pro lásku boží!_ Enough! I did not come here to start arguments,” he said, the rumble in his voice making him sound harsh.

“Russell!?” Phil sounded alarmed.

Russell wasn’t looking at him; he was fixed on Mitch. “You did not wish me to be here? Fine. I am well enough to return to the repair shop, and leave you to all of your . . . work!” He turned his wheelchair around, and furiously tapped a command into his gauntlet.

“Wait! You can’t just leave!” Mitch said, smirking when Russell slowly turned to glare at him. “You need to pony up that Glitch! That XP belongs to the whole team here, not you!”

At that, Miko growled and stormed up to Mitch. “What is your problem!? Even if he’s not a Field Tech, he DID help us capture that Mapper Glitch! So, he should get a share in the XP!”

“Stay out of this, Miko,” Mitch grumped.

“No! I don’t get what your problem with Russell is, but he’s part of our team!” Miko shot back. “So let me tell yo som-!”

“Miko,” Russell’s voice cut her off, but it wasn’t hateful or harsh. He looked at her with a face filled with an expression that pleaded for understanding. “It is not your place to . . . defend me. I will not be the cause of more tension or strife among this, team, here.”

“But,” Miko said, “Russell! You-?” She stopped when he made a small gesture of dismissal.

“It is enough, Miko.” He looked towards Phil and the others. “I will deposit Glitch and rescind all XP to you,” he said. “Divide it as you see fit.” Turning away, he hit a command on his gauntlet again, and one of the Tech Vans raised its Portal Canon. As the canon fired and formed a portal nearby, Russell said, “It was . . . a privilege to assist you, Glitch Techs.” With that said, he gave Miko one last look. “Your gauntlet, _prosim?_ ”

Blinking, Miko slipped her hand out of her inactive device and handed it to him.

Nodding, Russell said, “I will have this repaired, no problems. Will return it to you in due time.” With that, he turned and rolled his wheelchair forward, into the portal.

“Russell!?” Miko called out, but he had already vanished inside the portal and was gone.

# xOx #

Blinking as she returned to her present location, Miko squared herself, after raising her right hand to peer at the view-screen of her recently re-repaired gauntlet; Russell clearly having it fixed again, before dropping it off at her locker a few days ago.

“I seriously do not get what’s the situation with him,” she told herself aloud, “But, if I’m going to do anything, I’m getting some answers first!” She swiped her gauntlet’s touchscreen twice, bringing up a tools menu. “Maybe, I can at least give him a friendly face to open up to.” Tapping a few commands, she added in an undertone, “Besides, Tech or not, Russell did save me, so he does deserve my thanks.” She turned her hand over, and held it up to the admittance switch plate on the door. There was a brief burst of light -- encoded data filling the switch’s sensor -- that flowed from the focus-lens on her palm. After a twitter emitted from the lock, the door slid back on its track.

“And like it or not,” she told herself, as she faced the open doorway, “He’s gonna get all my thanks!” With one last peek for anyone coming down the hall, she slipped through the door way and slapped the release latch on the other side, closing the door behind her . . . .

# xOx #

After making her way through the mostly-silent storeroom -- which only had a small group of analogs roaming as security, and these barely acknowledged her presence! -- she arrived at Russell’s workshop area in the back.

The clutter, the boxes of parts and racks of tools . . . pretty much unchanged from her first visit here. Yet, without the young man in question, the place just seemed awfully quiet.

A little too quiet, Miko thought, as she stepped up and began to search for something -- anything! -- that would give her the opening she needed when he returned. She made a quick search around his worktable and desk, but with several drawers locked, and little else to search, Miko stepped back with a huff of disappointment.

“Aww, nertz!” she muttered. She turned and plopped down on a spare work chair, kicking off the floor to spin slowly around in a circle. “C’mon, Russell! How am I supposed to get to you, if there’s no-!” Her voice cut off as she slowly came to a stop. There, across from the other end of the desk, was a door.

A door she remembered from the time before! One that had a name-plate with the words, “ _Private! Troubleshooter Office_ ” on its faded plastic.

Blinking, Miko stood up and smiled to herself. “Bingo!”

Stepping over, she made a quick once-over; noticing that this door wasn’t electric or such -- like the other doors in the building -- but it was old, old-fashioned with simple hinges and a locking doorknob. Stooping down, she peered at the lock, and gave the doorknob an experimental twist clockwise.

It didn’t open.

With a sigh, Miko stood with one hand propped on the doorknob, the other on her right hip. “Okay . . . this has been helpful. Not.” She looked up at the door’s frame and muttered, “So what do I do now?”

“You begin by explaining yourself?!”

Unexpected, the harsh question startled Miko so, she let out a yelp and tried to turn in place. Inadvertently, she turned the doorknob counter-clockwise, and that unlatched the door and sent her spilling into the room beyond. Miko landed on her back with a thud!, leaving her breathless and stunned for a moment. As she laid on the floor, Russell loomed inside the doorway; seated on his wheelchair, looking upset and alarmed.

“Miko! Are you all right?” he asked. Reaching over, he hit a switch on the wall and several ceiling lights lit up. Staring down at her, he frowned as she slowly rose to sit up and got her wits back. “What are do you think you are doing? This office is private!”

Shaking her head, Miko said, “I was . . . looking for you.”

“Looking, for, me?”

“Yeah, I . . . just wanted to, say . . . woaaaah!?” Looking up from her place on the floor, Miko finally took notice of the room around her. For one of the few times in her life, what she saw was literally making her speechless: walls covered with posters about gaming, gamer competitions and more. Shelves filled with a few classic consoles, but also with trophies. There was a framed picture and newspaper clipping, of which the picture portrayed a very young-looking Russell receiving a grand prize from an Hinobi Official-- and a disgruntled Mitch Williams off to the side.

Slowly getting to her feet, Miko stared with awe, all while Russell himself was watching her process everything in the room around them. “ _Ach, člověče,_ ” he said, his frown falling away for a bit, but not leaving entirely as he wheeled himself into the room. “Miko?” He reached out to touch her shoulder, and she blinked and whipped her head around to stare at him. “Miko?!”

“Duuude,” Miko said softly, her eyes wide as she looked at him. “You’re not just a repair tech . . . you’re a gamer! A PRO Gamer!”

With a sigh, Russell let his hand fall away. “I was . . . once, was a gamer,” he said, giving Miko a look that wasn’t totally hostile, but it wasn’t exactly a warm one, either. “That is not important. Now, come out of here. Please.” He started to wheel himself backwards, but stopped when Miko slapped a hand down on the arm of his wheelchair.

“Not important???” Miko gestured with her free hand to the room -- taking in all the awards, posters and paraphernalia -- before saying, “Russell! From what I see, you were a great gamer! A championship-level gamer!” She focused on the picture-and-news clipping in its frame, and muttered, “Someone just as good as Mitch Williams, I see!”

At that, Russell coughed and scowled. “No. Not as good,” he said pointedly. “Better. I was better than that _Idiote_ Mitch Williams ever was, once!” He again made a gesture towards her, impressing on her to leave the room. “Come, you are not to be in here. Is my private . . . refuge.”

With a nod, Miko timidly stepped around him and exited the room. Watching as he closed the door firmly behind them, she said, “What happened?”

Russell looked at her. “ _Prosim?_ ”

“I mean . . . what happened to you?” She stepped closer and said, “Look, you saved my life against that Mapper Glitch. I never did get to thank you for that, but . . . all I want to know is why you stopped being a gamer? Why aren’t you a full Glitch Tech, like Mitch, like me, or any of the rest of us!?”

Russell’s expression went from vile to apoplexy in seconds. He looked like he was going to start shouting . . . but then he saw the sincerity in her expression. So, he let out a deep sigh before leaning back in his ‘chair. “It is . . . a complicated tale to tell, _králičina._ ”

Nodding once, Miko turned around, snagged the stool she’d been sitting on earlier and pulled it over to sit once more. “Tell me. Please? I ain’t going anywhere.”

Russell looked away for a moment, before he sighed again. “The truth . . . truth is, I never quit, Miko.” He looked back at her and continued to speak. “Truth is, I was a better gamer than Mitch Williams. For weeks and months, I readily equaled or bested him at Hinobi Smash. We had . . . a rivalry, _Ano?_ ” He chuckled at the expression of disbelief on her face. “Neither of us had an upper hand, that is,” he explained, “Until the local Hinobi Smash tournament of that year.”

“Woah, you two?! Were going up against the other in Hinobi Smash?”

Russell nodded. “It was the highlight of the year, Miko. I was a certainty to win.” His face bloomed with a smile as he cast back into his memories. “I was favored by most to beat Mitch, and it seemed to be fate that I make such a claim a reality . . . .” His smile faded as he looked askance again. “Yet, Mitch Williams used all of his mind-game tricks in the finale, and I did my best, but . . . in the end, I lost.”

“Ugh, that rager,” Miko muttered.

Russell just shook his head slowly. “It was a . . . ‘bummer’, _ano?_ Still, it wasn’t the ending I expected to see.” He caught Miko’s surprised look, and nodded. “Phil came to me while Mitch Williams celebrated his victory on stage. Told me it was never good to lose, but still, for all he saw during the match, Phill said I had much potential.” He shrugged. “So, I was invited to come to Hinobi Store the next day.”

“Wait, why would Phil do that? I though no one who doesn’t become hired, doesn’t even get to know anything about Hinobi beyond the games?”

“It was a surprise to me, too.” Russell shifted a bit in his chair. “Still, I came, and it was then that Phil showed me some of the things behind the doors: Plixel technology, glitches, and Glitch Techs. Phil explained why Hinobi held their ‘Smash tournaments’, and that while Mitch won the job of being newest Glitch Tech, Phil wanted me to try something . . . different. Behind the scenes, as they say.”

“Ooh, so that’s when you found out about the repair shop?” Miko asked.

Russell nodded. “After seeing potential of Plixel Tech, and being shown the Repair Bay, was introduced to the former Troubleshooter working for them.” He held up one hand, making a loose fist with his fingers. “I knew I could make some difference there, so I asked for requisite info, took training classes, and . . . a year later, Phil hired me on as a Repair Tech.”

“But, just a Repair Tech?” Miko asked. “When you were helping me against that Mapper Glitch, you seemed to have a lot of skill for fighting Glitches?”

Russell sighed with a touch of frustration. “For a time, Phil let me go along on some missions, just to get a feel for what Glitch Techs do. But, Mitch was always there; doing everything to keep me down, and keep me from even considering being a full-time Tech.” He growled softly, making his hand clench into a fist. “I tried to keep in the ‘active’ role, and for a time it seemed Mitch and I were competing for every job on the leader board.” He let his hand drop and frowned. “Mitch made one too many complaints, so, as I did not wish to start up another . . . war, with him, I returned to my shop.” He shrugged again. “It seemed better by choice, _ano?_ ”

“Yeah, but,” Miko asked pointedly, “don’t you miss being a Field Tech? Out there, taking part of the action on a team?”

Russell shook his head. “With my disability, Miko, I would be a great liability if things were truly dire.”

“But, that power suit you had--?”

“A temporary fix, nothing more.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Is too . . . clunky to be practical.”

Miko nodded, clearly understanding. “Still . . . I don’t see why you should keep to yourself in here,” she said. “You’ve got so much more to give to the entire than just fixing broken tech. You really need to be on a team, and back in the field again.”

Russell’s face fell back into a frown again. “A nice idea, Miko . . . but, no. I should not try to be what I am not capable of being,” he said with a huff. “Besides, who would want a . . . cripple for a teammate?” He snorted, and looked away. “ _Ne,_ it is not to be.”

Seeing the pain in his posture and hearing it, Miko stood up from her seat and crossed to where he sat. “Look, you might not believe in yourself,” she said gently. “But I do.” She put a hand on his arm and, when he looked back at her, she gave it a squeeze. “Plus, I know I’d love to have you as a partner; knowing what you’re capable of.”

Russell gave her a couched look. “Seriously? What about your . . . friend? Partner, even?”

“Fives?” Miko smiled. “I know Hector would be over the moon, if you were joining up with us!”

“He would not mind, then?”

Miko said, “Nah! I mean, we’re good together, but with you fighting alongside us? We’d be unstoppable!”

Some of the light seemed to return to Russell’s eyes . . . but, they darkened as he looked away again. “ _Ne,_ I am sorry, but, I do not belong as a Glitch Tech.” He slowly turned away from her, and directed his chair to slide into place at his workbench. “Now, forgive me, but I have work to do.” With that, he reached for a damaged Hinobi Console and began to examine it in silence.

Miko stared at him for a few moments, while her face fell into a sad frown. “Well, if that’s . . . I mean,” she said softly, before she turned to move away from the workstation. As she stepped past him, Miko said, “I just thought . . . I mean . . . I-!” She stopped at the edge near the shelves, looking back over her shoulder at him with a heart-broken expression. “I really do believe in you, Russell.” With that, she turned the corner and vanished from sight.

# xOx #

Sitting there at his workstation, Russell tried to focus on the console in front of him, but his attention was on the young girl who had left, and the last words she’d spoken. Eventually, his hands stopped moving after he slowly lowered a testing probe to the desk top, as his emotions raced like rushing waters inside himself.

 _Ach! What does she know!?_ he asked himself. _I know my limitations, and where it is better for me to be!_ Whirling around, he faced the direction Miko took; scowling as he wanted to shout and rant . . . but realizing that it would be useless as this point. He started to turn back to his work, but once more his emotions kept him from picking up from where he just left off.

“Aaah, _Kecy!_ Why am I feeling so, so . . . conflicted!?” He lashed out and sent a box of spare parts flying off the desk. Watching them clatter to the floor, he rumbled, “My life was so much easier, before that little, nosey, infuriating _králičina_ came here!” Fuming, Russell started to lash out again, but he caught himself and forced his anger down. _No . . . getting mad does not help._ he told himself. _Nor does blaming Miko for your lack of . . . control._ He heaved a deep breath, letting out like a pressure valve releasing steam. When he wasn’t feeling like raging, he closed his eyes and thought: _Truth to tell, Miko is right . . . in a sense. I did enjoy fighting in the field against that Glitch. It did make it seem I was a better part of the team, as a whole._

He reached over with his right hand, gripping his left wrist. _I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to wear a Gauntlet._ With a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked down at the floor where all the parts lay scattered . . . where a couple of his analogs were methodically scooping them up to replace in the box.

With a small snort, Russell said to himself, “Is like Granma used to say . . . Even if life shatters, one can always pick up pieces, put them back together and make like new.” He watched as the analogs lifted the box to replace it on his work bench, before looking back at his wrist again. Many thoughts came to him just then: Phil, Mitch’s words, his actions against the Glitch, and Miko’s last words.

_“I’d love to have you as a partner . . . knowing what you’re capable of.”_

Making a fist, Russell pressed his lips into a thin line as he listened to those words. _If it were only so simple as . . . putting the pieces together._ he told himself. Dropping one hand to his left knee, he winced a bit; ghosts of the pain flickering under his touch. He stared hard at his hand, and the thought suddenly came to him.

The suit . . . clumsy, impractical. Yet, could it not be . . . improved?

Looking up, he turned his chair around, and aimed it at the computer console. Rolling in close, he reached out and used the touch screen to pull up a series of design files: all centered around his chair’s alternate-mode, which he regarded with close, focused scrutiny. Reaching out, he flicked away segments with a firm pressure on his touchscreen, before expanding a few key components. With focus and determination, he quickly used the visual cues to realign parts, make new pieces appear and slot in, as well as add flickering notations to the side.

In a matter of minutes, he had something that looked nothing like the original Servo-Unit. The basic structure remained, but now . . . it was a totally different construction all together.

Nodding once, he then entered a single command line into his console with the keyboard. As he hit the ‘enter’ key, he sat back and crossed his arms, waiting as he stared at the main display.

A short moment followed in silence, then the sound of a inter-comm acceptance tone twittered, just as the view screen was filled with the image of Phil; sitting at his desk, looking at something off to the side of the camera’s pick-up field. Phil paused, looked straight into the pick-up and blinked. “ _Russell? Heeeey, ah, listen, about the other day-?_ ”

“Phil, Sir, that is past. Unimportant. Now? We must talk.”

Seeing the serious mien of Russell’s face, Phil leaned back a bit and frowned. “ _Okaaaay, um, Well, what are we . . . ah, here to talk about?_ ”

Russell didn’t budge or even flinch. “Something of a very important matter, Sir.” He glanced at the slow-spinning wire-frame of the new design in a fulminating silence, before he said, “One that is long overdue.”

Phil blinked, then leaned closer into the camera pick-up. “ _That . . . does sound serious._ ”

“On, it most assuredly is.” Russell said, a slow smile filling his face. “Allow me to sum up . . . .”

# xOx #

_Glitch Tech HQ Main Lobby,_   
_HInobi Games: Store #20221_   
_Two Days Later...._

  
“Hmmm, let’s see . . . there’s a Entity/Roamer near the Park? Mm, might be needing more than two to take that down,” Hector said under his breath. Shifting to another listing, he tipped his head to the side, saying, “No, no . . . that’s gonna take some major coordination to bring down . . . but, the XP might be worth it!”

Several Glitch Techs -- Hector and Zahra among them -- stood clustered around the main console. A listing of current Glitch missions were being scrolled up on the overhead view-screen. While there usually were just enough jobs to go around, there was still a challenge to pick the right Tech for the right job.

Tapping a few keys, Hector tipped his head to the side, reading what listings followed. “Hmmm. There’s a possible sighting of some Air-borne Spawners near Mama Miamoto’s, though.”

Beside him, Zahra grimaced. “Ooo, not liking the idea of fighting a flying spaghetti monster-glitch! At least, not without a few friends for back up.” She added with an undertone, “And not before my lunch has settled, too.”

“Ah, right,” Hector said. “Still, one of these missions might just be what Miko needs!”

From the side, Mitch piped up, drawling, “Yeaaaaah, I think that’s going to be a good idea, all things considered.”

Zahra looked at Mitch, arching an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ooh, nothing . . . save that I don’t think Fives’ usual dancing partner is up for anything at the moment.” Looking pointedly at where Miko was sitting in the ‘rec-area’ of the lobby’s lounge. 

Hector scowled at Mitch, but he didn’t put a lot of heart into it. “Yeah,” he agreed; looking to where Miko was sprawled over one of the couches, looking limp as a rag doll. “She’s been moody ever since the Evulstar Glitch got taken down,” he said.

Zahra looked at Miko for a moment. “She has been acting all Oh-Oh-Cee, lately. Girl’s just gotta get her head back in the game.” She turned back to Hector, looking thoughtful. “Maybe one or two missions with us as a team might shake her out of this, hm?”

“That might be easier said than done,” Mitch said, looking just as much out of sorts as Miko did, as he muttered. “I purposely sent her a text about a choice XP mission yesterday, just because of that very idea you just thought.”

Hector and Zahra both stared at him. “You, did, **what?** ” Zahra gave him a lop-sided grin. “Mitch Williams actually tried to help someone else out?” She looked at Hector with mock alarm. “Quick! Check to see if the world is ending!”

“Hey! Don’t read into anything that isn’t there, Zahra!” Mitch groused. He then shrugged and sighed. “Besides, it didn’t work. She practically ignored my text, and anything else I said to her.” He glared at the pair and added, “Maybe it might be better to leave the little mood-ball to herself for a while.”

“ _Dios_ ,” Hector said softly. “This is bad. Miko’s never been like this before.” He leaned back against the command console, looking thoughtful.

“You think, maybe we should tell Phil?” Zahra asked.

Hector shook his head. “No, I think Mitch had a good idea, but I seriously don’t think that leaving her alone is a good idea, either.” He looked back at Miko, popping his fist down on the console. “Like it or not, we’ve got to do something for her!”

Before Mitch or anyone else could reply, a voice said, “Actually, is a good idea you first had, Mitch Williams.”

“Wha-?” Mitch turned around, and looked with a shocked expression at the sight of Russell who was wheeling into the lobby in a more-modern looking, compact powered wheelchair. “Russell?”

Russell gave Mitch a searching look. “You were expecting, maybe, Boom-Boom Kazoom?” He gave the others a nod in greeting as he rolled up to the command console. 

“Russell!” Hector’s face split into a smile. “Geez! I mean, it’s good to see you, but what are you doing here?” He blinked and let his gaze drop down, seeing that the red-haired teenager was now wearing a full Field Tech’s Uniform; complete with a headset and gauntlet. “Aaaaand, _¿Qué estás planeando, amigo?_ ” I mean, why are you--?”

“Dressed like this?” Russell chuckled. “Should not all Glitch Techs wear the appropriate uniform these days?”

“Yeah, but,” Zahra said, “I think Fives means why are you wearing it? Aren’t you strictly a support tech?”

“They’ve got a point, Russ!” Mitch said with a snicker. “You’re just a glutton for punishment, eh?”

“Maybe,” Russell said. “Maybe not. Truth to tell, after the discussion I had with Manager Phil two days ago?” He smirked. “Things are always in a state of change.”

Mitch scowled at Russell, and both Hector and Zahra looked puzzled. “Just, what, is that supposed to mean, Russ?!” Mitch fired back.

Russell face turned into a guarded smile before he said, “I wasn’t always a wrench-wrangler and a code-monkey, Mitch Williams. A fact you seem to have forgotten . . . or does one have to bring up the leader board archives of, say . . . six years ago? _Ano?_ ”

At that, Mitch blinked, then his eyes seemed to fire blazing hot daggers at the redhead in the wheelchair. “Oh, no you wouldn’t?!”

Russell merely chuckled, then snapped his fingers at Mitch. “Try me, _Chlapec!_ ” The sound he made was humorous, but the steely gaze he leveled at Mitch wasn’t anything close to being ‘funny’. He then relaxed and said, “Besides, as I said, I spoke to Manager Phil and -- thanks to him, some paperwork, and a little . . . convincing on my part -- a change has been made.” He turned and made a motion for Hector and Zahra to move aside, before he rolled his wheelchair closer to the console. Reaching out with his left hand, he flicked the slider on his wristband and rezzed up a Tech Gauntlet. “BITT?”

The Plixel construct floated into view, over the console. “M-m-may I be of some assistance?”

“ _Ano,_ ” Russell said, before putting his left hand and his gauntlet into a data-transfer socket in front of him. “Would you please register this hardware.”

BITT extended an arm, plugging it into the console, right next to the data-socket. There was a brief humming noise, and his face-plate revealed a buffering icon for a few seconds. When his face returned, BITT said, “C-c-congradulations, Russell T. Stepan. You have been confirmed and registered as a Level-One Glitch Tech!”

“Wait, you are seriously registering as a Field Tech?” Zahra said.

“Awww, yeah! You’re gonna join the rest of us?!” Hector pumped his fist excitedly. “But, wait! We all thought-?”

“That’s not possible!” Mitch growled. “You’re not-! I mean, you don’t have sufficient experience to be a Glitch Tech!”

Russell nodded. “Yes, after a fashion, that would be true.” He waited until there was a soft ding!, then he removed his hand to peer at the tech-gauntlet he wore. “Good! No undue updates needed. Still, while I work in Repairs, thanks to the limited times I was allowed to be on a field mission in the past, it was sufficient to grant me a transfer to being an active Field Tech on the company employee lists.” He squinted at something on his gauntlets’ screen, then made two more sweeps over the touch screen. “Is merely a matter of making my intent known to Phil and getting his final authorization.” He made a final button press with a flourish. “Which I have now just done.”

While Hector and Zahra and a few other Techs nearby were happily cheering for him, Mitch continued to scowl and fume at Russell. “Okay, okay,” he said at length, trying to sound snarky and superior. “You may have gotten yourself back into active duty, but . . . a-heh, you really don’t have the means to surpass me! Not now, and not ever again, Russ.”

Looking over at Mitch, Russell gave him a tiny head shake of pity. “Grouse as you like, Mitch Williams, but I am not here to have a verbal or mental sparing match with you.”

“Um, well . . . just what are you here for then?” Zahra asked.

Giving her and Hector a nod, Russell returned his attention to the console. “It is Miko I am here for.”

“Just, um, what are you going to do about Miko?” Hector asked cautiously, for the sake of his friend.

“What I am doing, Hector,” he said, “Is fulfilling something Miko told me. Miko showed I have still a lot to offer for Hinobi, and for my fellow Glitch Techs.” Looking up at the mission lists, Russell added, “But, what I do is not just for myself.” He quickly tapped a few commands into his gauntlet’s touchscreen, before his eyes returned to the console; narrowing a bit as he reached out and tapped two listings on the command screen, changing them from ‘OPEN’ to ‘CLAIMED’. “After all, when one does not have their footing, often is best to first put them back on solid ground, before asking them to walk again.”

Zahra looked to Hector, shrugging as she said, “Well, that does make sense . . . I think?”

Russell smiled. “Now, you are getting the idea.” He then faced Hector and Zahra. “Would the two of you care to join me on these missions I acquired? Help me kill three things with one stone, as it were?”

Hector nodded quickly. “ _Ai, si!_ I’d be honored!”

“Count me in,” Zahra affirmed. “But, you just said three things?” She looked up at the mission list. “When you just picked two missions?”

“Third thing, my friends, is most important mission of all. But, I should start this one, myself. Excuse, please.” He turned his wheelchair in place, and then started moving towards the lounge.

“What did he mean?” Hector asked. Curious, he started to follow, but Zahra held him back. “Huh?”

”Waitaminute . . . I think, this is a ‘mission’ that only HE can do, Fives,” she said knowingly, tipping her head towards Miko.

Hector got the clue, and he brightened up. “Ooooh, right!”

To the side, Mitch just scoffed and crossed his arms. “Oh, boosh . . . what is it with all the goody-goodie, gushiness lately?!”

# xOx #

Miko stared numbly at the views-screen across from the couch; slouched down so far, her head was sandwiched between two of the cushions, her left shoe untied, and the uni-remote just barely held between her limp fingers. She let out a groan of boredom, even as the channels cycled through a selection of shows every few seconds. Some programming would have been interesting, but her interest just wasn’t there.

 _What am I doing?_ she asked herself. _Why am I just laying here in a mope-of-nope mode???_ She turned her face away from the television, smooshing her cheek against the cushions. _I wish I had the energy to just . . . stop, and get up and do something!_

She started to close her eyes, only to have them snap back open when a soft voice said: “What are you doing, Miko? Such an undignified position to be in there.”

“Huh!?” Sitting upright with a bolt, Miko whipped her head around, and caught sight of Russell’s red-haired face peering from over the back of the couch. “Russell!? W-wh-wha-!?” She starting to gibber, but stopped when Russell calmly reached out and closed her jaw with a firm touch.

“Is honest question, Miko,” he stated; his smile touched with a bit of sadness. “Have you been moping, all this time?”

Blinking, Miko started to reply, pausing for a moment, before she said, “Well . . . I guess, um . . . yeah? I think I was.” She took her index fingers and pressed them together. “Sorry for . . . ummm-.”

“For what?” Russell gave her an honest look. “You were concerned for me. For that, I should be thanking you.”

“Me? But, wait . . . I didn’t do anything!”

Russell chuckled, before moving around the couch in his wheelchair. “Ne, you did some thing, Miko . . . you made me see truth.” He stopped in front of her, pointing with one hand as he said, “I am a good repair tech, yes. But, I do miss the missions, and the work everyone else does as a Field Tech.” He sat back, giving her a long look as he added, “So, I have requested . . . and Phil has agreed. From this moment on, I am not only Store Troubleshooter, but also am the newest Glitch Tech Field Agent, as well.”

At that, Miko sat up straight, staring hard at him in disbelief. “You’re what, now!? Seriously!?”

“Could never lie to you, Miko,” Russell admitted, nodding. “Yes, seriously. As such,” he said with a sly look. “I have claimed a few missions to undertake today.” He raised his gauntlet and made a show of examining it. “I did ask friends Hector and Zahra to join me, but-OOOMPH!?” His words were cut off, as Miko had launched herself from the couch to land in a flying tackle in his lap.

“Yes-yes-yes! I’d be more than okay to join you-! Um!” She suddenly realized their position, and she backed off quickly, holding her hands up in an apologetic gesture. “I mean, I’d be more than happy to join you and the others,” she said. She suddenly frowned. “But, Russell . . . are you going to be able to keep up? I mean, that looks like a new ‘chair, and . . . well, you said before that that Servo-Unit wasn’t an idea solution for your . . . legs, I mean.”

Russell just smiled. “Oh, I think You’ll see that this-?!” He slapped the armrests of his ‘chair. “Will prove to be more than satisfactory!” With that, he reached over and swiped left, revealing a row of icons briefly before he pressed one that looked like a person-standing. With that, a brief flash of energy raced around the ‘chair, and before Miko’s astonished eyes, it began to change.

Just then, Hector, Zahra and Mitch entered the space, all joining Miko, staring on in awe as the ‘chair expanded outwards amid a field of blue energy. Parts telescoped out, others retracted, and some like the large wheels completely transmogrified in seconds. In the midst of this, Russell’s body was suspended in mid-air -- a wire-form of some kind outlining his torso, waist, legs and feet -- as each component suddenly snapped into place around him; locking and forming a new complete construction that was far removed from either the ‘chair, or the old Servo-Unit he’d used before!

As Miko blinked amid a last, brief flash of light, she stared as Russell’s body floated down to the floor -- his feet and legs now encased in sleek, contoured armor, with some extra components folded back behind his legs and body. “What in the . . . WOOAAAAH!”

Russell chuckled, looking down as he stood there. Unaided, and without pain. “It worked,” he marveled. “First time, too!”

“Wha-the-whaaaaah?” Mitch looked flabbergasted, his eyes racing all over the new construct on Russell’s body.

“Oooo, cool!” Hector said. “D-did you make this?”

“Yes,” Russell said. “Though I was not certain it would operate as planned.” He took a few steps, moving around the couch and the four amazed Techs. He paused, looking at Miko. “Is looking good to you?”

Miko finally found her tongue, and she said at length. “Russell! You . . . you can walk now?!” She stepped closer, eyeing the complex-yet-simple looking framework on the leg closest to her. “Does, it . . . does it hurt?”

Shaking his head, Russell said, “ _Ne._ The support system underneath keeps the stress and weight off my joints, so there is little to no pain.” He tipped his head down, angling one foot to expose the linkage of the ankle and boot armor. “Will have to wear it for a while, just to see if I have a . . . limit to how much time I can stand in it.”

That got a smile from Miko, but Mitch just scowled and said gruffly, “So, you went and got yourself some fancy, Plixel armor supports?! That still won’t help you in the long run. Not against my high scores!”

At that, Russell got Miko’s attention with a small head shake and a wink. “Actually, Mitch Williams, there is more to this exo-frame than meets eye.” With that, he motioned everyone to step back, and he took a few steps into the open space of the main lobby. “Allow me to show you.” With a smirk, he twisted his left wrist, exposing a extra button on his gauntlet’s hand-piece.

“Execute . . . **_Mobi-form!_** ”

He pressed the button, and the exo-frame began shifting again! Parts from behind his legs and back swung forwards and down, forming a pair of Ground-Effect-Vector systems around his feet, and a thrust-pack against his lower back. With a low thrum of spooling-up power, the GEV-system projections sent a gust of air against the floor, lifting him up a few meters into the air.

Watching from below, Miko’s eyes were wide with friendly envy. “Oh, NERTZ! You can fly in that thing???”

Without saying a word, Russell grinned and turned his head; using that and an internal sensor to turn his body, while using the thrust-pack to send him steadily forward across the lobby. Kicking up wind as he picked up speed, Russell took a quick turn around the circular space, before returning to the spot before the others. With a slow, deft touch, he landed with a slight skidding stop, just as the flight systems reconfigured back into stowage.

“Of course . . . He can FLY in that thing,” Mitch groaned.

Zahra and Hector were just as enthused. “He can FLY! Whoo-HOO!!!”

Miko moved in to stand in front of Russell -- tipping her head back to look him squarely in the eye -- all while smiling like her face would break from the joy she felt. “Russell, you did it,” She said in gentle awe. “You really did it this time!”

With a nod, and a grin. “It was you, little rabbit,” he said fondly. “You inspired me to overcome my . . . personal grievance, and find this solution.” He reached out, offering his hand with the palm up. “I am more than willing to join your team,” he said. “That is, if you and your friends will have me?”

Miko looked over her shoulder at Hector. “What do you say, Fives? Can he join our team?”

Hector chuckled, and said, “I wager this isn’t just for those missions he claimed earlier, huh?” When he saw the look on Russell’s face, and the encouraging expressions on Miko and Zahra’s faces, he nodded. “Well, no rule that says we have to just have TWO people on a team.” He stepped forward and offered Russell his hand. “We’d be happy to have you join us, Russell, Sir!”

“Just, call me Russell, Hector . . . um, Fives? I am not a manager here.” He added with a sly look at Mitch, “Not yet, anyway.”

Mitch merely turned his head and scoffed. “Meh!”

“Mm,” Zahra said, coming up beside the trio with her hands clasped behind her back in a somewhat bashful posture. “By the way, is that offer to join the team . . . well, only limited to newly-minted Field Techs, or--?”

“Sounds as if someone else wants to join our new team dynamic, hm?” Russell stated with a grin.

“Well, there does seem to be an imbalance of boys-over-girls in our ‘dynamic’ right now,” Miko stated, looking pointedly at Hector.

With a small, embarrassed laugh, Hector said, “Hey, who said I was making the decisions here?” That got him an arched look from the other three, and so he sighed and said, “Okay, fine. Zahra. You’re on the team.”

With a smile, Zahra punched the air and said, “YES!” She then recovered herself and, with a more solemn tone she said, “I’ll do my best to aid to the team’s dynamic, and make us all proud.”

Miko gave Russell a poke in the ribs. “Well, I couldn’t be prouder of this guy! Welcome to our world, Russell!”

Rubbing the spot where she’d poked him, Russell laughed softly and said, “I’d say the welcomes are most appreciated, Miko.” He nodded to the other two, and said, “Is looking like the beginnings of good and greater things to come, _ano?_ ”

  
The End  
.


End file.
